Magi Evolution
by Omni Black
Summary: The magical community has remained stagnant for years, but that is all about to change. A war is brewing and two worlds are about to collide. Evolution is a curious thing. Blood isn't the only thing they have to worry about now. HPXMEN crossover
1. Chapter 1

Okay, got a new story for anyone interested. Like my first one, Black Ascension, it's due to reading too many fics with not enough of what I want to read. Solution? Write one myself. This is going to be a crossover fic, something that I had thought about doing long before Black Ascension, but I did not have enough ideas for it. Still don't, actually, but things always seem to fall into place. The crossover, you guessed it… X-Men! I'm sure that some of you have read one or two fics of this, but hopefully I can bring something new to the table. Takes place after fifth year. Hope you all enjoy.

I'd also like any and all comments you have about the story, whether good or bad. I like X-Men, but I have not read too many comics on them so I'm using some sites to help. I must say that Wikipedia is a godsend.

I do not own Harry Potter or its associated books, nor do I own Warner Brothers, or X-Men, or Stan Lee (though he did come and speak at a local theatre a few months back, the Kuss Theatre, if you will believe the name) or Marvel. This goes for every chapter of the story, so don't point out that I don't do it before every chap, its just annoying.

With that out of the way…on with the story.

'_snikt'_

**Magi Evolution**

**_Chapter 1: Breaking point _**

Harry walked into the evening sun, dragging his trunk and following his 'family' to the car. A new one, Harry noted with some disgust. His uncle always had to have to best care he could afford, well generally he could _not_ afford them, but he got them anyway. Have to keep up with appearances and all. He had just come from his fifth, and if he was asked, his worst year at Hogwarts. Being ignored by one of the few people who had shown kindness to him had affected him greatly, not to mention being forced to sit through the torture, err, _lessons _from that bastard Snape. And worse, he had lost Sirius… He shook his head harshly at the thought; he could not break down in front of _them_. He'd never hear the end of it.

They made their way to the car quickly, possibly faster then Harry could ever remember. The reason was evident though. Vernon was practically glowing an ashy white while his ears were a radiant red. Harry had only seen him look that way once before…

…_Flashback…_

_It was a Christmas party that Vernon was hosting at his home. Just a few choice colleagues, mostly people who had the connections that he himself wished to procure. Harry carried small trays of snacks for the guests. Snacks that smelled odd to him. They reminded him of small beads, not the most appetizing thing in the world. He had been told not to even think about touching them for fear of contamination. Fear for the snacks, not him. Dudley stood by Vernon in a tailored suit identical to Vernon's, making him look almost every miniature ounce the porker his father was. While Vernon had instructed his son to pay attention, learn how the world works, Dudley had been more concerned with the funny looking red and green stuff people were eating on crackers. He liked crackers, and if everyone else enjoyed the odd looking stuff, then it had to be good, right? The six year old mind of Dudley Dursley made up; he went in search of his freaky cousin. Maybe he could even get him in trouble._

"_And I said, 'Fishnets? I wanted Tuna!'" Vernon finished his joke to scattered laughter. He did not actually get the joke at all, but he heard it from his old man once and he was desperate to impress Mr. Hinomen, the companies Vice President's son. Maybe he could finally get that promotion he had had his eye on for the past few years. Meanwhile, Dudley had found the snack tray._

"_Give me some of those, freak." Dudley commanded his smaller cousin, as he reached out to grab a handful of crackers. Harry pulled them back out of his reach, fearing what would happen if Dudley ate the foul things, not to mention the warning that was going through his head made by Vernon not an hour ago. A few people around the boy heard the comment and whispered among themselves about bad parenting._

"_Dudley, they smell funny, and Unca Vernon says that we can't have them." Harry told him._

"_I'm gonna make your face funny, stupid." Dudley threatened, but Harry did not relent. Though he felt that he should have as the commotion had garnered a small crowd. Dudley bared his fists, but in a moment of inspiration, which to many of the people around looked like the boy was constipated, he had an idea. "I'll tell dad!" The rotund boy said as he took off to find his father who was across the room. _

"_Okay, okay." Harry said a moment later, catching up to the boy before he could reach Vernon. Dudley smiled in triumph and grabbed a handful of the snacks and stuffed them into his mouth greedily. Those who saw this, anyone in the immediate area besides Dudley's father and the Vice President's son, looked away in disgust. Which is why no one saw what happened next._

_Dudley stopped chewing with glee a few seconds after he put the odd food into his mouth. The small whale sized boy turned green and cupped his hands to his maw. He gave a violent heave and spewed up a large amount of previously digested material, as well as the entire contents of his oral cavity. The projectile vomit flew forth from the plump boy with astonishing speed, directly at Harry. Harry saw the sickly yellow and red substance flying towards him and let out a small scream. The scream, however, was muffled by the 'poof' sound he made as he left a black cloud where he had been moments before, only to reappear with another cloud of black inside his cupboard. The vomit, having lost its original target, continued on its course, and landed on a new target with a nasty 'splat' sound. The victim of the gross attack looked down to see his trousers and most of his jacket now ruined by multi colored sick. The man who had been boring him for the last hour let out an 'eep' like scream and scrambled for napkins and proceeded to try and remove the offending substance. This proved to only make it worse and the Vice President's son began to scream at the 'idiot man' and his 'fat arse spawn'. Harry could only hear snippets of the conversation, but he was glad that he was safe in his cupboard and not out there._

"_Most humiliating thing in my life…"_

"_Sorry sir… not feeling…"_

"_Cannot…fat…"_

"_I'm sure…not…fault…little boy…"_

"_Father…make sure…end of you!"_

_Everyone left after that, and in quite a hurry from what Harry could see through the grate in his cupboard door. A few minutes later, Harry was shocked to see the door nearly ripped from its hinges and his Uncle look at him with a demented gleam in his eyes. His face was a white color he had never seen before. Usually angry meant mad, which meant him being hurt. The only thing red on his uncle at the moment was his ears, and Harry, at the tender age of six, feared for his life._

"_Boy…" His Uncle said as he reached in with a meat hand._

Even now, Harry could not recall what happened once Vernon reached into the cupboard to grab him. He did remember waking up the next day feeling worse then he had ever felt, and his clothing soaked with blood, but he could not find any cuts, only a few light scars that looked like they were fading away as he looked at them. His Uncle had seemed shocked to see him the next, but demanded his breakfast just the same. He now chopped it up to magic, but the only time other time he had healed that fast was when Fawkes cried onto him. He didn't remember the healing of his arm after Wormtail cut him in his fourth year.

"Boy! What have you been telling those freaks? We feed you, clothe you, give you a shelter so your freak arse doesn't die from cold, and what thanks do we get? You go and tell them we mistreat you! Never in all my life… absolute lack of respect… in front of hundreds… What do you have to say for yourself?" Vernon demanded, as he slammed the accelerator down to the floor, forcing his brand new car to peel out into the roadway.

"I didn't tell them anything." Harry told him, only half paying attention to the screaming. Most of his concentration focused on how he was able to move from in front of the vomit to his cupboard when he was younger. Until he had seen his Uncle's face, he could not remember that Christmas at all.

"Ha! Like I'll believe that! Probably think we starve and beat you. It would be no less then you deserve, _freak_." Vernon said with venom.

"You already do that, or don't you remember? Locking me up in a small cupboard for days on end, punishing me for every little thing, even the shite that your precious Dimple diddidums pulled. I gain nearly twenty pounds every school year, just so I don't die when I loose it during the summer. Someone was bound to notice." Harry said bitingly. Vernon looked at him with disbelief before his ears took on a blood red hue and the car jumped nearly twenty kilometers faster. Vernon kept looking in the review mirror, as he started mumbling to himself.

"Ungrateful freaks…false…lies…nothing more then deserved…going to hurt… oh yes…" Vernon continued under his breath as he took a turn sharply and caused the car to fishtail through an intersection. "Boy, you think your freak friends are going to scare me? You don't know fear, but I'll teach you… teach you the meaning of pain…" Vernon nearly screamed; letting large drops of spittle cover the inside of the window shield. Harry met his Uncle's death glare from the mirror, but he noticed something colder in his eyes, at it worried him.

"Lots of pain…" Vernon said in barely above a whisper.

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The car stopped in the driveway of Number four privet drive with a small screech of resistance from the tires, leaving a black trail along the pristine pavement.

'_Probably going to have to get rid off it too.' _Harry thought to himself. Vernon tossed the keys, much harder then was necessary as he made his way into the house. Harry sighed as went to retrieve the keys from the lawn of the next door neighbors, Number Six. _'Another start to a bloody wonderful summer.'_ Harry struggled to bring his trunk and Hedwig's cage through the front door, but finally succeeded, to be met with Vernon's glaring face.

"Those freaks are not going to boss me around, _boy_." Vernon told him as Dudley came from behind him and pinned his arms to his side. The massive boy's arms, while incredibly flabby, also seemed to hold a lot of muscle, and Harry was not able to get out of his cousin's grip. He and his things were taken out to the back yard where a large red plastic container sat next to a big metal bin that Harry had to grind rust off of every year.

"You learn respect, boy. We took your ungrateful freakishness into our house, out of the kindness of our hearts. Should have listened to Marge. Her dogs would have been happy for the extra meal." Vernon said as he kicked open the freak's trunk.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Harry demanded, struggling against the hold of his cousin. Vernon just smiled as he dumped the contents of the trunk into the bin. Vernon's demented smile only grew as he poured the contents of the red plastic container and comprehension dawned on Harry. The foul smell of petrol and burnt paper rose into the air as Harry screamed for him to stop, only to be met with the laughter of both Vernon and Dudley. As the flames rose, Harry saw his most prized possessions burning into ash, spitting out a spark every once in a while. His father's invisibility cloak, the Map, and his photo album, all gone. Harry was in a slight daze when he felt someone reach into his back pocket, the pocket he kept his wand in, despite Moody's warnings.

"Don't want to be getting any ideas, now do we?" Vernon said with glee, quickly throwing the freak's stick into the fire. The wand held strong against the flames for a few minutes but eventually gave way and began to burn. Several red and gold sparks shot into the air as an image of Fawkes sang mournfully over the fire. _'No…my wand…why?'_ Harry asked himself in his mind.

"And now for that ruddy bird." Vernon proclaimed as he threw open the cage door. He reached in to pull the bird out and received several deep gashes on his hand and lower arm. "Damn blasted bird!" Vernon screamed as he pulled the now white and red bird from its cage by a wing, which snapped audibly. "Make sure you never wake me up again!" Vernon said to the bird, and laughed insanely as it screeched in pain. It was about this time that Dudley questioned his father's sanity, but the thought was quickly dashed from his mind, he was hurting the freak, and that was all that mattered.

Harry continued to struggle, but his cousin was too strong. There was something at the back of his mind, but he could not grasp it. _'Not Hedwig…no…not Hedwig…'_ He thought as he fought to get out of the death lock and tap into the power that seemed just beyond his grasp.

"Barbecue sound good to you, Dudley?" Vernon asked as he tossed the helpless bird into the air above the fire. Harry watched his first friend in the world make a slow arch in the air before she began to plummet towards the fire.

"No!" Harry screamed. In that moment, several things happened. Something inside Harry felt like it exploded inside his body. His eyes began to glow an odd greenish yellow and he let out a fierce growl. Dudley suddenly found himself holding onto a cloud of black and began to choke on it violently. Harry found himself next to the bin a moment later, just in time to see Hedwig fall into the flames._ 'Not happening…'_ He thought to himself as he reached in the flames to retrieve his friend, not noticing his skin become black and burnt, or the fact that he could not feel the initial pain he had felt from putting his hands inside of flames. Skin cracked and peeled off of his hands and arms as he pulled the now black bird from the fire.

"Hedwig?" Harry asked, hoping for some sort of response from the smoking animal. He received none. She was dead, and from the angle of her neck, probably dead before she began to burn. _'Hedwig…'_ Dead. His first true friend, his first companion. Gone. She had always been there for him. Through the nightmares, and when his friends would not send him letters, when she was locked up with him in their own personal jails, when the wizarding world turned on him. Always there for an encouraging nip or a bite on the ear to set him straight. Always there. And now, nothing. Harry was numb. He just stared at his lost friend, which is why he did not notice the burnt and flaking skin on his hands and arms begin to turn into new pinkish flesh or his Uncle walk up behind him. He never heard the swing, but he felt the blow. Getting hit with a shovel in the back of the head is bound to cause anyone to take notice.

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXHPXMENXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

Light, that was the first thing he noticed. Then he was able to make out a few shapes. They were very blurry at first, but they began to become a little bit sharper after a few moments. He could feel that he did not have any glasses on and wondered how he could see so well. His sight was by no means perfect, but it was better then it should be without his glasses. The next thing he noticed was smell. How he had not noticed the smell sooner was beyond him. It was a coppery kind of smell and it assaulted his nose, making him almost real back from it. Almost, because it was then he realized that he was chained to the wall of his 'bedroom'. He tugged on the chains until his wrists bled and he felt something pop, leaving him in excruciating pain for a few minutes before he felt the cuts on his wrists slowly closing, the blood stopping, and a bone in his wrist mending.

"What the fuck?" He had asked himself.

That had been five days ago. Five days without food, water, or any real sleep. The sleep he got was plagued by nightmares, Sirius falling through the veil, Hedwig falling into the fire, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Dumbledore, all falling. All dead. In the mornings Vernon would walk in with a large black whip. Where Vernon got it, Harry did not know, but he hated the man and his whip with a passion. Few people could compete with the likes of Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange, but Vernon was quickly climbing that list. Every morning he would be beat with it, and as the blood splatters on the wall and his clothing suggested, it cut deep. And after his Uncle left him in a bloody mess, covered in gashes and bones broken, Harry would feel the cuts and bones fixing themselves and the bruises disappear. It scared him at first, for things to begin to heal themselves with no active control over it. He blessed it now though, because had he not been able to do it, he would be dead by now, several times over. It took nearly an hour for his body to heal itself after the first whipping. Now, after five days, he was slowly healing himself during the beatings, much to the glee and confusion of his Uncle. The overall pain of the beatings seemed to be lessening, or he was getting used them. There was a great pain in both of his hands though, and for all the healing that his body went through each day, he could not understand what it was. It especially hurt during the beatings though, when Harry desired nothing more in the world then to rip his Uncle's throat out.

He had tried for the better part of the day to… do whatever it was that he had done to get out. The only thing that he thought it could be was apparition, but he had never studied how to and knew that there was a very distinct feeling according to the twins. But he could not do it. Like before, the power to do it seemed to be just beyond his reach.

Five days, and no one had come to check up on him. Even after they told him to send a letter every three days or they would see what was wrong, no one came. No letters had been brought by owls, demanding to know why they had not heard from him, nothing. They had abandoned him, and Harry did not know why. Last year there were guards posted outside of his house, why weren't they here now? In the fist couple of days his screams could be heard across the neighborhood, one neighbor, Number Six, had even called to tell the Dursley's to keep their stereo down. So if they were there, they would have heard. Having nothing better to do all day, he thought about his life, and why it was so fucked up. Voldemort, Pettigrew, Lestrange, Snape, and Dumbledore seemed to be the top reasons, along with his 'family'. They were the death of his real family, the betrayal, the torture, the anger, the lies, and the death of his childhood respectively.

Why had he not been told sooner? Ready or not, Voldemort was not going to give a rat's arse. It did not matter if he was too young to accept the truth. It would probably not matter if he was three times as old as he was; being told that you are connected through prophecy to kill or be killed is going to dampen anyone's day. Or life, really. He was forced to come to this hell on earth every year by the man that he had looked up to since finding out about the wizarding world. Were those kind blue eyes false? Was that genial demeanor an act? All those house elves, eager to please, all the empty space in the castle. Why couldn't he stay there? The more he thought about it, the more like every year seemed like a test, a way to see how far he could be pushed.

'_Was it all a test? Has Dumbledore been trying to prepare me? For what? Lessons in dumb luck? I should have died in every one of those situations, but I always made it out, just barely. He had to know about it all. Did he push me just far enough to get some sort of results? What am I to him? You don't do that to people you respect. To people you care about…What am I? Some sort of weapon?'_

He cut his musings short as he heard the backdoor close downstairs, and something heavy and metallic being dragged across the floor. He shook his head. All of his senses seemed to be increasing, with smell as the first one he noticed and later his hearing, and slowly his eyesight was getting better. He had wondered briefly if his father had had werewolf or vampire blood that had decided to make its self known, but disregarded the thoughts as his door was suddenly kicked in.

"Got a new toy today, _freak_. Maybe it will teach you to not spread lies about honest, hardworking people." Vernon said, smacking the end of the fifty pound sledgehammer into his palm like it was a fist. Harry looked up just in time to see the hammer fall, slamming into his leg. Harry fought back the scream that was trying to force its way out of his mouth, but lost it when the hammer bashed his other leg. Both legs were pulverized, but healing slowly. Vernon held the heavy sledge above his head, ready to slam it down again when he saw his nephew's eyes. They were completely glowing. The greenish yellow light and the pure anger of the boy's face made Vernon hesitate for a moment. A moment too long. A loud animalistic yell that sounded like a cross between a growl and a roar filled the room and the freak disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

'_I'm going to kill him!'_ Harry thought as he tried with all his might to break the chains and reach his uncle. The chains strained, and he let out his frustrations in a yell. That power, whatever it was that allowed him to move like he had was back. It saturated his body until it covered him like a warm blanket and he suddenly appeared in front of his Uncle. The pain and pressure that had been building in his hands for the last few days suddenly gave way and he tried to choke the life out of his Uncle. He tried to, being the key word. Before his hands even reached the whale of a man, his Uncle's neck was impaled by six long, white, claw looking things. Blood gushed forth from the meaty man's neck as he fell to his knees, gurgling.

Harry looked at the things protruding from his hands. Well, technically they seemed to be coming out of his knuckles, but that was not the point. Three whitish yellow eight inch things coming from between the knuckles on his hands. The ends were covered in blood, Vernon's blood, he realized a moment later. He looked down at the already dead man. He had done that. He had done what he had wanted to do ever since the beatings started, since as long as he could remember, if he was honest with himself. But he had taken a life…and he did not feel guilty about it.

'_Why should I feel guilty? He was going to kill me. He would have already done it if I would have stopped healing. But what the hell is happening to me? Healing is one thing, but growing fucking claws! Maybe I _am_ a freak…Maybe they were right…No. No…they were the freaks. Treating a child like that…Nothing more then he deserved…I've got to get out of here.'_ Harry thought as he heard a car door slam, Aunt Petunia was home.

"Okay…I did it before…come on…work!" He screamed at himself. The warm sensation covered him again and he disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Only to reappear in London. In the middle of the road. Right in front of a speeding truck. A mighty screech was heard as the back tires locked up, trying to slow down. It didn't matter though. The flat front of the truck collided with Harry before he could even think of moving. His body stuck to the front end, and he felt the metal shape to his form for a split second before he was thrown back, landing on his side and skidding to a halt just inside of an alley some eighty yards away, right in front of a tall and hairy man with black eyes and a fur coat. The man sniffed the air a couple times and picked up the boy who had just slid into him by his shirt. The man smirked, revealing several sharp and pointed teeth as he watched the boys cuts heal themselves, and the bone claws slowly retract.

"And I thought it be hard…" The large man said to himself, taking out a cell phone.

"Director…yes, Sabretooth…London…found one…a perfect specimen…on my way." The man, Sabretooth, pocketed the clearly too small device in one of his many pockets. "I can find Magneto after this. Thanks, kid. You may have just saved my piece of the pie." He growled out softly, as not to be heard. Harry moaned and Sabretooth punched him in the temple, knocking Harry out. He smirked again as he threw the boy over his shoulders and continued to walk down the alleyway. He had a plane to catch.

_**End Chapter**_

That's the end of the first chapter. What did you think? Any and all ideas are welcomed; just leave me a review or an e-mail. I'm taking a small amount of license here with the time and some of the characters, XMen evolution and the new movies are going to be smashed together to use as I see fit, I think, but it should be a good story. I hope. Anyway, next chapter should be out shortly. Like within the next few days.

_-Omni _


	2. Chapter 2

I was able to get this chapter done earlier then anticipated, so it look like it will be posted a few days sooner. Alright, next chapter. Hope you all like the last one. On with the story.

Remember, Read, ReVieW, and Enjoy.

__

_Previously…_

"_Doctor Cornelius…yes, Sabretooth…London…found one…a perfect specimen…on my way." The man, Sabretooth, pocketed the clearly too small device in one of his many pockets. "I can find Magneto after this. Thanks, kid. You may have just saved my piece of the pie." He growled out softly, as not to be heard. Harry moaned and Sabretooth punched him in the temple, knocking Harry out. He smirked again as he threw the boy over his shoulders and continued to walk down the alleyway. He had a plane to catch._

_**Chapter 2: Blue Connections **_

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"Professor, have you had any luck yet tracking Magneto down?" A young woman, maybe 18 or 19, asked worriedly.

"No, Jean, I'm afraid that I have been unsuccessful in that regard. I fear what he is up to. Not even the Brotherhood knows where he is or what he plans on doing. The only way that I can explain it is that he has created a facility somewhere that acts like his helmet, deflecting my thoughts. If such a place where underground, then I believe that it would be quite a task to locate it." A bald man in an oddly plastic wheelchair said as he rolled out of a large elevator that blended in perfectly with the wall.

"Have there been any new mutants?" She asked as they walked down the brightly lit blue and silver corridor. The Professor seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering.

"Yes, I believe so, anyway. I am beginning to wonder if Cerebro is in need of an upgrade, or at least a tune up." He told her.

"You make Cerebro sound like a car, Professor. Who did you find and when are we planning to see them?" Jean asked with mild humor in her voice.

"Perhaps it was a bad analogy, but it is much my pet project as Scott's motor vehicles. What I mean to say is that it seems that this mutant cannot to be tracked through Cerebro, which is troubling. As you know, Cerebro keeps a history of mutants too young to attend the school so that we can contact them later or immediately, depending on the case. Generally it is able to keep a running tally of them so that we can be alerted if a situation that we might need to handle arises. The boy was recorded once before, about ten years ago, but only long enough to determine that it was a boy, he was young, and that he could teleport, not unlike our favorite Nightcrawler, but nothing more could be seen. I manually check the status of any recorded mutants on a bi-monthly basis, but this one has not come up since the first time. I assumed that the child had inadvertently killed himself through the use of his teleportation and did not try to track him any further." The Professor ignored the wince that Jean made as she imagined it happening. Nightcrawler was limited in where he could teleport to, lest he come out inside a wall or heaven forbid, a person.

"Then, just a few days ago, he showed up again, but was gone just as fast. It seems that he can only be seen when he is actively using his teleportation ability, which is too fast for me to make a connection. I have had Cerebro monitoring the general area that I believe he is located in for the past few days, but nothing has turned up." The Professor explained.

"Perhaps he is a telepath as well and is blocking you? He would have to be amazingly strong, but it is possible. Where do you think he is?" Jean asked.

"Somewhere in Europe, around Scotland, possibly Britain. And yes, it is possible, but I believe that Cerebro would have recorded if he was a gifted in mind powers that strong. And I doubt that a child at the age of six would be able to subconsciously block me out, let alone me with the help of Cerebro, for ten years. No, it is something else." He told her.

"Are you worried about him, Professor?" Jean asked as she studied his mostly impassive face.

"Yes, I believe that I mentioned that Cerebro was not able to get more then a brief scan before?" The Professor asked. At his students nod he continued. "There was a bit more this time. He was under heavy duress, like many mutants when their abilities surface, but it was anguished, filled with pain. I believe that he is in a bad position, and is possibly being abused. I think that he needs to be found quickly so that we can be sure of his safety and offer him the opportunity to stay here with us. While teleportation has been the only recorded gift, I doubt that it is his only one. Scared and powerful mutants are dangerous to themselves and those around them." The Professor told her as he stopped in front of a large silver door with a huge 'X' on it. In the center of the 'X' there was a small circle with a blue laser shinning.

"Hopefully you will be more successful this time, Profesor." Jean said as she began to walk away. "I have another training exercise with Logan, see you around." She said, opening and door off to the side on the opposite side of the hall. The Professor sat a little bit straighter and the blue laser brightened, sending out a wide beam that scanned the man's eye.

"Welcome, Charles Xavier." The door said as it opened to reveal a huge room that looked like the inside of a metal sphere, which it was. There was a single floor in the room which the Professor, Charles Xavier, used to get to the center. He placed the oddly shaped headphone like apparatus over his head and opened up his mind to the familiar onslaught of every mind on the planet.

"Where are you?" He asked in barely above a whisper. As if to answer him, a red dot appeared in his mind. He was able to establish a connection, but it was very taxing.

"_Got a new toy today, freak. Maybe it will teach you to not spread lies about honest, hardworking people." Vernon said, smacking the end of the thirty-pound sledgehammer into his palm like it was a fist._

It was a rather large man with a heavy hammer in small room covered in large red specs.

_Harry looked up just in time to see the hammer fall, slamming into his leg. Harry fought back the scream that was trying to force its way out of his mouth, but lost it when the hammer bashed his other leg. Both legs were pulverized, but healing slowly. _

It seemed that the young man was indeed being abused, and by his relatives no less. He was correct in his hunch that they were located in Europe, Britain now seemed to be the most likely place.

_Vernon held the heavy sledge above his head, ready to slam it down again when he saw his nephew's eyes. They were completely glowing. The greenish yellow light and the pure anger of the boy's face made Vernon hesitate for a moment. A moment too long. A loud animalistic yell that sounded like a cross between a growl and a roar filled the room and the freak disappeared in a puff of black smoke._

The connection in his mind seemed to slowly disconnect itself with one thought from the boy reverberating around his head._ 'I'm going to kill him!' _ Charles tried again to establish a connection but only managed to make it for about a second, which was all that was needed. _'London?'_ Charles heard the boy say, right before an image of a truck was seen and the connection was broken forcefully, leaving him with a slight headache.

"_Scott, Logan, Storm, Beast, prepare the X Jet, we are heading to London immediately."_ The Professor sent out telepathically, receiving various confirmations and a mental grunt from Wolverine.

_**(X)**_

"Were approaching London now, Professor X." Scott Summers said from behind the controls of the X Jet.

"Good, Scott. We don't want to be seen." The Professor told him and Scott nodded, pressing a small switch underneath a hollow plastic box. From the inside, nothing had changed, but from the outside, the jet had completely disappeared. Well almost completely, there was still a barely visible outline, but it was very difficult to see. "Ororo, provide us with some cover, please."

"Of course." Storm said, as her eyes went completely white and glowed eerily. The clouds in the sky seemed to congregate around the jet until the barely visible jet was gone from the naked eye. A few minutes later they landed as close as they could to the place the Professor had seen and felt last, on top of a large car park. They followed the Professor for a few blocks until he stopped and concentrated, staring at a place in the middle of the street. There were several white cars with blue sirens on the top, the local police, they assumed, as well as a couple of ambulance type vehicles and a large truck. Wolverine winced slightly when he sniffed the air and figured out what happened.

"My word…" Beast said, his blue fur being cloaked at the moment by a small device that resembled a watch.

"Professor, was he hit by that truck?" Scott asked, noting the dented appearance of the grill, which looked as if it could possibly hold someone inside of it.

"I'm afraid so, Scott. It seems that we are too late-" But he was cut off as Wolverine gave a large sniff and began to walk away from them.

"Kid ain't dead yet, Chuck." He said as he continued walking down the road for some way. The rest caught up with him a moment later when he stopped just inside of the mouth of a rather dark and dirty alley. They saw him give another large sniff of the air and were slightly shocked when he growled loudly and unsheathed his claws with a metallic 'snikt' sound, putting the rest on guard.

"Who is it, Logan?" Professor X asked, scanning the area with his mind to find any threat. Thankfully there was none at the moment, but something had Logan worked up.

"Sabretooth…maybe an hour ago. Picked up the kid, they're gone." He said as he walked back to them.

"So he survived the hit, that is good news, but what would Sabretooth want with him?" Beast asked.

"They may have left the area about an hour ago, but the sent is still strong. Adrenaline and blood are pretty distinctive and this place reeks of it." Wolverine said as his claws slowly retracted.

"The boy's blood? That seems expected, given the nature of his arrival to this alley." Beast said, looking around for any clues that might help them.

"Not the boy's, not Sabretooth's. Whatever happened, it happened before he teleported in front of that truck. He had blood on him, lots of it. He was scared, pissed, and probably knocked out from the crash. Sabretooth probably smelled him and figured that a man with blood on their hands was worth using for the Brotherhood." Wolverine said

"I feared that such a thing would happen." The Professor said. "His last thought before 'London' was of killing his abuser."

"Abuser? What are you talking about, Chuck? Isn't that one of the things you always check for, no matter the age?" Wolverine demanded, catching the assembled party off guard at his sudden passion. Xavier understood Logan's position though. Not many can say they had suffered as much abuse or betrayal as Logan had in his lifetime.

"Yes, it is. But this is the first time since he was recorded that I was able to make a connection sufficient enough to get a location." Charles said.

"Do you mean to say that he had a means to protect himself from your mind?" Beast asked.

"No, not directly anyway, or intentional, which makes him all the more puzzling. I could only track him when he used his teleportation, so even if I could connect to his mind, tracking him would have been difficult enough." He explained to them, leaving them in a contemplative silence until Beast interrupted them.

"But the boy had no blood of his own on him? Being hit by a truck that large, and at the velocity the dent indicates could have easily killed him. It would kill just about anyone for that matter." Beast said, thinking it over in his head. Wolverine looked at him for a moment before he sniffed the air again and gained a pained smirk across his face.

"I don't die easy, bub. And neither does this kid." He said as he leaned against a wall and closed his eyes. This contemplative silence was broken quickly by Mozart.

"Hello, Bother?… Are you well?…Good, good, now since you are calling this phone I assume it is something of an emergency… Is it Hermione? When?… We're on our way, should be there in about five minutes… It'll be good to see you…see you soon." Beast said into a device that looked too small for him to be holding.

"That was John, his daughter, my niece, Hermione needs to see us." He told them.

"It seems that nothing more can be seen here at this time, so lead the way, Hank." Professor X told him. They arrived at the X jet a minute later and departed. Not three minutes later they landed again in a posh neighborhood just past London.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXHPXMENXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

Hermione Granger sat at her desk in her room, looking over a piece of paper. A letter, really, but it had been crumpled up and was barely legible anymore. It was nearly a week old, but she had not thrown it away yet because she was certain that there was something happening other then what the letter implied.

_Dear Ms. Granger,_

_At this time, I feel that Mr. Potter needs as much space as possible, given the nature of the events a few weeks back. Mr. Weasley, Ms. Weasley, Ms. Lovegood, and Mr. Longbottom have all been sent letters as well to the affect. I implore you to not send Mr. Potter any letters, be they for simple correspondence or comfort. I believe that with the loss of his Godfather that Mr. Potter will be unstable and possibly lash out at any one that he can, much like he did last year. We will be checking up on him before his birthday to take him to Headquarters, so you will be able to see him then. His guardians have been sufficiently warned, so do not worry about his health, I am sure they are taking good care of him, and the wards will warn us of anything. Mr. Potter deals with things in his own way, mourning, I am sure, will be no different…_

She dropped the letter onto the table and sighed. The rest of the letter mentioned something about a party for Harry and scheduling a time for Diagon Alley. It did not make any sense to her. She had seen what happened to him when he kept everything bottled up. They had to deal with the aftermath of his temper several times in the past year, sometimes more then once in a day. Seeing the only father figure he had ever had killed right in front of him… She shuddered at the thought. He needed someone to talk to, not seclusion! Did Dumbledore want him to keep exploding or something? Keeping him at that…place, with those people, if they could even be called that. The way Harry talked about it, and from what she could catch while he talked in his sleep, it was a veritable hell. Every summer she sent owls to Dumbledore, begging for Harry to be taken somewhere else, the Weasley's, Hogwarts, anywhere but there. But every year she was sent an owl back claiming that there were no places more secure then his house due to some special wards that he would not elaborate further on. It was just so frustrating!

"Does that mean that they won't check up on him until his birthday? Why does he send him there? Blood or not those people are monsters!" She yelled to the room, slamming her fist down onto the desk. Her fist went through it. She stared at the hole that still contained her fist dumbly for a moment before cracks formed and the desk was blasted apart.

'_What…how'_ Was her fist semi coherent thought. _'Can't happen…not that strong…wood…'_ She thought as she pulled her fist out and stared at the desk, or what used to be the desk in horror. _'It was old wood'_ She tried to rationalize to herself. _'Always had books on it, heavy books. Yes, really heavy books… It must have weakened the structure…'_ She continued in her head, until she looked at her hand, which was still balled up into a fist. At first she thought she was seeing things. People's skin weren't supposed to be blue. She watched in silent horror as first a knuckle, and then another, then a finger turned a dark blue. Then the other fingers, her palm, the rest of her hand and her fingernails all received the same treatment. As the colored pigment began to race up her arm, she did what any sane person would do. She screamed. Loud enough to be heard by the neighbors, three doors down, and loud enough to crack the glass of the window in front of her. Her parents burst through the door a moment later.

"Mina, baby, what's wrong?" Her mother asked, terrified that her daughter was hurt or had seen something terrible.

"Go away!" Hermione yelled at her mother, now crying into her hands, still facing the window with her back to her parents.

"What happened? Tell us, Hermione, were your parents." Her father said stepping forward from behind his wife, fearing whatever could cause his little girl to scream in such a way.

"No…weird…" Her father heard her say, before she dissolved into racking sobs again, though he thought he heard blue mumbled once or twice.

"Hermione." Her father said. No answer. "Hermione, look at me." Again no answer. "Hermione Janice Patricia Granger, look at me!" He demanded, making Hermione jump, but she complied, slowly. She turned around in the swivel chair she was sitting in very slowly, her head down and her hands covered by her shirt. He saw her arms though, quickly turning from the slightly tanned skin to a deep azure color. _'Oh dear'_ He thought before he got on a knee in front of her.

"Mione, darling… It's okay." He tried to tell her, lifting her chin up so that he could see her face, her eyes. She lifted her head up reluctantly and her father saw the face he had known since the day she was born slowly turn blue. As the blue covered her face, her eyes changed from their honey brown into a pale gold. Her bushy brown hair darkened and became a blackish blue that was much straighter.

"Hermione?" Her mother asked her before a soft 'thump' could be heard, indicating that her mother had fainted. This set Hermione into another sobbing state.

"It's not okay, daddy! Look at me…I'm a …a…frea-" But she was unable to finish her sentence.

"Do not ever say, or even think that, darling. You are my beautiful darling baby girl, and I and you mother love you regardless. You've just gained a rather unique complexion." Her father said with a smile. "And maybe a few benefits as well, judging by the hole in the desk. That's solid oak, you know?" Her father told her, still looking into her eyes.

"How are you so okay with this!" Hermione demanded. "I'm blue. BLUE! I can't go anywhere now…Harry…Ron… they won't want to see me like this…no one will, they'll think I'm a freak of nature or something. Or some dark creature. What am I?" Hermione asked her room hysterically, dissolving into tears once more.

"You are Hermione Granger, my little girl, a witch, top of your class at Hogwarts, and a mutant." Her father said softly.

"M-mutant?" Hermione asked slowly. "I thought they weren't real." Hermione said interested in learning something new, despite the circumstances.

"Yes, mutants are as real as witches and wizards. You know, I imagined that this talk would happen a little differently when you were growing up. Witches and Wizards indeed… Anyway, yes, they are real, you've even met a couple of them at one time." Her father told her.

"What do you mean? Did you know that I would be a mutant? And who have I met that were mutants? Why does it happen? Is it a…" Hermione trailed off when her father put his hand up to stop the rambling questions.

"Yes, I knew that it was a distinct possibility that you could be a mutant, and hopefully the ones that you have met can explain any questions you have. The professor is something of an expert on the matter." He told her as he pulled out an odd type of phone that Hermione had never seen before from his pocket.

"Yes, it's me Hank… Yeah…Something like that…Just now, I think…Really? In the area? Yeah…Okay….We'll be waiting for you." He said into the phone before closing it and putting it into his pocket. "That was a cellular phone, so that I can keep in touch with your Uncle Hank. Portable phone, smaller then the bulky ones you may have seen. Special design of his, actually. Should already be in production." He explained to her unasked question. A few minutes of uncomfortable silence later they heard a knock at the door.

"Come in!" He yelled from her room. Several people could be heard coming up the stairs and Hermione was very surprised to see a man in a wheelchair role into the room.

"How did you…" She asked before she could stop herself, earning a chuckle from the bald headed man.

"_With my mind, young one."_ He told her, making her jump and look around wildly before she settled on him again.

"That was you in my head?" She asked.

"Yes, it is one of my powers you see. Telepathy along with telekinesis, very useful sometimes. I am Charles Xavier, but most refer to me as Professor X." He told her.

"Where is my favorite niece?" Asked a rather large man who struggled to get through the door.

"Uncle Hank! Why are you here?" She asked, slightly confused, but piecing things together quickly. "You're a mutant?"

"Yes, I am, as are all of my colleagues. I believe that you have met Ororo once before,"

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Hermione. Please call me Storm." She said.

"And the Professor," Professor X nodded.

"The man in the corner is Logan, but most call him Wolverine." The man, Wolverine, grunted.

"This," Her Uncle Hank said, indicating a young man maybe a year or two older then her, "Is Scott Summers, or Cyclops as he sometimes prefers."

"Hey." He said.

"And, I would hope, you know me. But, as your father has most likely neglected to tell you, I am a mutant. Were actually not so different." He told her, as he fidgeted with a device she thought was his watch. Instantly his skin turned hairy and blue, his face took on a more defined appearance, and his hair turned blue. "See?" He asked her. Hermione jumped up and ran to him, giving him as strong a hug as she could, eliciting a few pops and a surprised gasp from her Uncle.

"Seems you have quite a bit of strength there, Mina." Hank told her as he stood up.

"Sorry." Hermione said with a blush, or what one might think as a blush, as her cheeks took on a bright purple hue.

"No need, it took me years to control mine, eh brother." Hank asked her father, who seemed to wince at a memory.

"I'd say so, still get a crick in my neck every once in a while." Her father said with a laugh.

"You see Hermione? Were not so different from other people, we just have extra gifts and abilities." Hank told her and she nodded.

"But how?"

"You see Hermione, the human body is created from DNA, as I am sure you are aware. In the past few decades, evolution seems to be catching up with humans at a rapid rate, relatively speaking. The part of the DNA responsible for mutations in humans is what I call the 'X' gene. How the gene affects us is different for everybody, as can be seen by the vast array of mutations and abilities. The gene, we have found out recently, is carried by the father. So had your father been a normal human, you may still have gotten the gene, but as he is a mutant, you were almost certain to be affected by the gene, or possibly become a carrier. Meaning that your children will most certainly be mutants as well." Xavier finished.

Hermione nodded for a second in understanding, before she looked sharply at her father.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked hurt.

"It's not something that I tried to hide, Mione. My power isn't something noticeable like Hank's or very powerful like the Professor's. It wasn't something that could come up very often as you were growing up. I had considered telling you when you turned eleven, but then you got your letter to go to Hogwarts, and you were being exposed to a hole other world, I didn't want to force too much on you at a time." He told her sadly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Daddy, I just wish you would have told me sooner." Hermione said as she gave him a hug, making her father wince in pain, making Hank laugh.

"Looks like you get to go through another round there, Sed." Hank told his brother, earning a glare.

"Sed?" Hermione asked. Her father's name was John, and she assumed the other's names had something to do with their abilities, but she could not figure out what 'sed' might allude to.

"Yeah, Sed. Short for 'Sedater'. A name given to me by my dear big brother, Beast. I can sedate people, it's probably why I don't get many complaints from my patients." He told her and she nodded in understanding.

"John, Honey, who are all these people? And why is that man and our daughter blue?" Jane Granger asked, taking deep, even breaths from the floor.

"Friends, dear." He told her.

"Friends, of course. 'Night." She said as there was another, this time softer, 'thump'. She had fainted again. Wolverine scoffed and John looked towards the window.

"It is odd, I think, that Cerebro did not pick you up, Hermione." The Professor said. "It is a machine that I use to find mutants and track those who are coming into their powers, but I did not find you on it. Actually, it is difficult to see your mind at all, even to send a telepathic message like I did before. We were actually in the area looking for another mutant who came into their own recently, though he only showed up long enough to get a semi accurate location recently. We narrowed it down to London, which is why we were able to arrive so quickly."

"It could be because I'm a witch." She said helpfully. This statement was met with rude laughter from Wolverine and a few odd stares from everyone but her father, Uncle, and the Professor.

"I think her powers messed with her brain, Chuck." Wolverine said, ignoring the death glare Hermione sent him.

"No, not in the least, Logan. It is very viable that she is correct. While I have heard rumors of there being witches and wizards, I've not met one since Doctor Strange, a truly powerful wizard. And if all of them are as hard to track mentally as Hermione here, it would explain why Cerebro couldn't pick them up. Such concentration could have disastrous effects. It might also explain why we are having such trouble finding the one we were originally trying to find." Professor X said, mostly to himself.

"Time out, Chuck. Your saying that magic is real, the hole turn you into a toad, flying dragons and whatnot?" Wolverine said incredulously.

"Yes," Hermione answered for him. "Turning someone into a frog is a bit cliché, but it falls under transfiguration. Dragons are real, as well as unicorns, werewolves, vampires, and most of the other things in children's stories. Though the information about them is generally only half of the truth or totally wrong." She told him.

"So why don't more people know about magic then?" Scott spoke up for the first time.

"Secrecey laws. Only immediate family is allowed to know about it. All others are obliviatated, unless there are extenuating circumstances." She explained.

"Obliviated?" Storm asked.

"Their memory is erased of the event to insure that muggles, non magical people, don't know about wizards and witches."

"I imagine many mutants wish that they had the same anonymity." Professor X nodded.

"All right, little Beastie, lets see some magic." Wolverine said, earning another glare from Hermione.

"I can't." At Wolverine's scoff she decided to explain further. "It's against the law for students under the age of seventeen to practice magic, unless it is a dire emergency, and even then the Ministry is a little iffy on what constitutes life and death situations." Hermione said bitterly.

"Professor, are you suggesting that the mutant that we are trying to track may be a magic user?" Hank asked.

"Possibly. It would certainly explain why he is so difficult to track." Professor X told him. "Ms. Granger, I run a School in America and I would like to offer you a place in. To the public we are simply a private school that is geared towards the higher learning of gifted youngsters. And while this is true, the private face of the school specializes in training young teen mutants how to control their powers. The men and women behind me are a small number of a group that make up what the students have dubbed the 'X Men'."

"What are the X Men?" Hermione asked.

"The X Men are a small group dedicated to keeping the peace between mutants and the general populace. There are many mutants, and one in particular, who believe that a war is brewing between mutants and none mutants. The mutants who believe this are part of a group known as the 'Brotherhood of Mutants'. A powerful mutant, known as Magneto, heads this terrorist group. The public chooses to only see the bad out of mutants because of this group, which in the eyes of the Brotherhood that they are right, which enables them to gather more mutants sympathetic to their cause. The X Men protect the public from the Brotherhood and give asylum to those who need it." He explained to her.

"This school, would I have to give up magic to go to it?" She asked, looking a little ill at the thought.

"I don't think that you would have to give up your magic. As a matter of fact, it may help you control them better in time. I am sadly ignorant of the Magical Government, so I cannot tell you what is and is not allowed. But if the Magical Government in America is anything like the non-magical portion, then I am sure something can be worked out." The wheelchair bound man told her. He received an audible sigh of relief, which made her father and Uncle laugh. She thought about it for a moment before she said anything else.

"While I know my magical studies are important, I think that it is equally, if not more important at the moment, that I can control my…other powers as well." She told them.

"That is very wise. The Institute is a year around school," This comment made Hermione's face light up, "So, depending on how fast you can learn to control your gifts, you may be able to return to your other school come the fall. Should this happen, you are to remember that you can return to us at anytime, for any reason." Professor X told her, receiving a nod from the young lady.

"I'd like to attend your school then, Professor. I just wish that I could contact…" She trailed off and stared off into space, as her golden eyes darkened and looked almost like solid gold. "HARRY!" She screamed before falling unconscious.

_**End Chapter**_

_**End Chapter**_

_**End Chapter**_

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, more to come.

Remember people, reviews are both motivation and help. Two things that I am in dire need of. So if you have a suggestion, tell me. That's all I got. Tune in soon. Next chapter to be out within the next week.


	3. Chapter 3

All right, the third chapter of this little story.

_**Previously:**_

"_While I know my magical studies are important, I think that it is equally, if not more important at the moment, that I can control my…other powers as well." She told them._

"_That is very wise. The Institute is a year around school," This comment made Hermione's face light up, "So, depending on how fast you can learn to control your gifts, you may be able to return to your other school come the fall. Should this happen, you are to remember that you can return to us at anytime, for any reason." Professor X told her, receiving a nod from the young lady._

"_I'd like to attend your school then, Professor. I just wish that I could contact…" She trailed off and stared off into space, as her golden eyes darkened and looked almost like solid gold. "HARRY!" She screamed before falling unconscious. _

**_Chapter 3: Third Star to the Right…_**

"Wha-what happened?" Hermione asked as she looked up from her bed.

"It seems that you have activated another ability, though I am not sure to what affect it had on you. I was hoping that you would be able to enlighten us. I believe the last thing that you said was-" Professor X was interrupted by the young girl.

"Harry… I saw him…pain… so much pain…" She shuddered. "His Uncle…hurt him, over and over again, and no one did anything to stop it. But he got better after every time, stronger…but this…too much, just too much…and it's only going to get worse…" She trailed off, silver tears falling down her face silently. To the surprise of everyone, she began to laugh hysterically until she stopped just fast as she had started. Wolverine gave a pointed look at Xavier, reminding the man of his comment about her powers messing with her mind.

"Ms. Granger, are you quite alright?" He asked her with concern. She stiffened, as if just realizing that they were all still in her room.

"My powers don't seem to be without a sense of irony." She told them with a rue smile. "I prefer books to fighting and now I can crush a solid wood desk with a punch. Even in the chaos that is magic, if you understand the fundamentals, everything can be logical, the way I like it. Now this…" She said with a pained smile.

"Mia, what are you talking about?" Her Uncle asked her.

"I abhor divination, and now it seems that I'm a seer of sorts. Past, present, and the feeling of the future. Trelawney would be _so_ proud." She said with a scoff.

"We cannot choose our abilities, but they often compliment the opposite side of our personalities, though not always." Professor X told her, thinking of Colossus and Beast, and at the opposite side of the spectrum, Iceman and Wolverine. "Believe me, if there was any possible way for us to have saved your friend from his…Uncle, did you say?" Professor X said suddenly, cutting off his original sentence. At Hermione's nod, his demeanor seemed to change.

"I think that you will need to take us to his home, Ms. Granger, immediately. I understand your position and how you must be feeling, but I think that you may be able to lend some insight into the matter. John, you are welcome to come, but I think we must be going, now. "The man said to the nods of his 'X Men'. Hermione hesitated for a moment, thinking about her appearance, before she realized that finding her friend was more important. She had seen what his uncle had done when they arrived. She saw Vernon's morning activities in brief flashes. She did not directly feel the pain, but she knew it was there and knew what it _would _feel like to her. It was hard to explain, but she felt the bones breaking, skin slicing, blood squirting. It was enough to make her sick. She had seen just until this morning, and that is where the flashes stopped coming and only the feeling remained. The pain that he had just gone through was nothing compared to what he was going to face. Like comparing a campfire to a forest fire, or a tidal wave to a tsunami. Ironically it was her heart that was telling her mind that it was wrong. No matter what she had seen and felt, and despite what she knew, she believed that if she could get to his house, she could save him from it all. It was this thought that pushed her resolve and she nodded as well.

"I'm going to stay with Jane, we need to have a long talk once she wakes up. Be careful, Mia, mind your Uncle, and if you run into any trouble, let the X Men handle it." John told her, to which Hermione agreed, though Hank saw her role her eyes and Professor X, while not trying to read her mind, got the feeling from her that she got into more scrapes then her father was aware of. As they were walking downstairs, or floating as the case may be, Hank handed Hermione a thick silver bracelet.

"I always keep an extra, just in case. I only ever use them when I don't want to be noticed. You're going to have to get the settings to match you, or how you would like to look, while we are on the X jet. It is limited though. It won't change your eyes or your hair, your height your weight, or your general facial structure. It's a hologram, not your transfiguration." He told her. "Just tune it with the knobs on the side."

"Number four, Privet Drive, Surrey." Hermione told the Professor once they were all aboard the jet. Hermione was amazed at the state of the art muggle machinery, having been away from anything close to it for a number of years. The jet took off and Hermione set the silver trinket that she had to wear as a choker because the thing would not have fit her wrist if they were three times the size that they were.

"Ms. Granger, what can you tell me about 'Harry'?" The Professor asked her once the jet had gained altitude

"Why?" She asked suspiciously, taking the bald man off guard. Everything was happening too fast and she did not like it.

"Well… because I think that your friend and the boy that we have been trying to locate may be one and the same. I will not know until we get there though. I pray that I am wrong." He told her truthfully. Hermione nodded.

"Harry is powerful, amazingly so, but unless there is a power that helps you defy death and survive impossible odds on a regular basis, I don't think that Harry is a mutant." He told them, as the rest of the group that was not flying the plane stood around listening. Wolverine smirked and she continued.

"Well, his name is Harry Potter, and he is probably one of the three most known wizards in the last century-"

"Why, and who are they?" Wolverine asked, interrupting her, receiving a glare this time from Storm, her eyes slightly white.

"There's Dumbledore, he is the Headmaster of my school, Hogwarts, he discovered the twelve uses of dragon's blood, among numerous other things, and defeated the last Dark Lord, Grindelwald, which helped end World War II." Wolverine and Professor X looked like they wanted to interrupt here but held their tongues. "The currant Dark Lord, Voldemort is the second. He believes that only pureblooded wizards and witches are worthy of learning magic and uses his many followers and the dark arts to get his point across. Never mind that the 'purebloods' will eventually inbreed themselves out in the next couple hundred years. Dumbledore and Voldemort dueled a few weeks ago and ended in a draw, well, almost a draw, anyway. Even ten years after his death, people are still afraid to say his name, instead giving him more power by calling him 'you-know-who' or 'He-who-must-not-be-named'. A bit ridiculous, really. Then there is Harry. He has been dubbed 'the-boy-who-lived' by the papers since he did two things in one night that no one can rightly understand. He survived a curse, the killing curse, when no one in history ever has. And he defeated, at the age of one and a few months old, the most powerful Dark Lord in the last three hundred years." She told them.

"Are you suggesting that the second World War was implemented by Wizards?" Professor X asked.

"No, I'm telling you that. Adolph Hitler was a squib, the child of two magic using parents that cannot use magic. His brother, Grindelwald, was very capable of using magic. They were purebloods, and so they looked down on all muggles. Pureblood's look down on squibs for much the same reason, and Adolph was disowned and he joined the militia during WWI. Hitler's brother came to him after the war with an offer, if Adolph could rally the muggles, Grindelwald would do the same for the wizards, creating a force not seen before in history. Supposedly they wanted world domination, but they started with Germany. Its not very clear as to why Hitler began killing the Jews, but some speculate that he needed something to below him so that he could, in his mind, be respected in the eyes of the other pureblood's and his parents. The experiments that that…thing did in the name of righteousness…" Hermione looked a bit pale and Wolverine stiffened noticeably.

"Eventually Grindelwald was defeated by Dumbledore, and Hitler, without the support of his brother, killed himself. Or that is what is widely believed. We were never given any more proof then Albus Dumbledore's word that Grindelwald was dead." Hermione finished.

"These wizards sound like something Magneto would be interested in." Storm said.

"Perhaps, but I wonder what the wizards would think of mutants." Beast pondered.

"The ministry would try and get involved and 'regulate' them like they were animals. They do it to all the magical creatures already. All any pureblood would have to say is that mutants are obviously muggles who have gained some sort of magic and everyone would take it as fact. The fact that they were 'muggles' before would make them have a lower standing then muggleborns, like me, in the eyes of the old families, the purebloods." She told them with disgust evident in her voice.

"If the Volde guy has been dead for ten years, how did he duel anyone?" Wolverine asked skeptically.

"He came back. He was never truelly dead, just without a body, a spirit, so to speak. Harry was captured a year ago and forced to participate in a ritual that brought him back to life." Hermione told him. The ruff man rose an eyebrow and muttered something about people never staying dead.

"Dumbledore, he is your headmaster, correct?" Her Uncle Hank asked her. "I remember you speaking about him once, like you practically worshiped the man. What changed?" He asked her.

"I think that he has been trying to keep Harry at his relative's house for a reason other then for his protection, but I don't know why." She told him.

"You think that he has an agenda for the boy?" Storm said more then asked, and Hermione nodded.

"It must be hard," Scott spoke up for the first time from the front. "To be loved in one world and hated in another." Hermione nodded to this as well, blinking hard to get rid of the tears that were threatening to fall. "Were here, where should I land, Prof. X?"

"Middle of the street, Scott. The authorities will be notified about this anyway." The Professor told him. Scott agreed and set the X jet in the middle of the street, guiltlessly tearing up number 4's front yard. The party exited quickly out of the now visible jet and made their way to the door. Wolverine knocked a little harder then necessary, leaving small knuckle sized dents in the wood. A high pitched voice could be heard through the door.

"We don't want anything, good day." The horse faced woman said as she opened the door and closed it almost before she had finished her sentence. 'Idiot sales people' could be heard as she walked back to wherever she had come from.

"Right…Lady's first." Beast told his niece. Hermione gave him a scary smile, though it was pained. Harry had to deal with her on a daily basis with no release. She stepped up to the door and kicked it as hard as she could. The door buckled and splintered before she kicked it again and it fell to pieces, leaving a sheepish Hermione.

"I always wanted to do that." She said quietly, but most heard her. A shriek that reached octaves that Hank McCoy had believed impossible for humans until that moment reached their ears as they stepped inside.

"Who do you think you are? You wait until my husband finishes with his business, you'll wish that you had never heard of 'breaking and entering'. Out, out with you!" She screamed at them until she got a good look at Beast. She screamed again.

"Freaks! Vernon! Freaks!" Wolverine, who had gotten tired of the constant screaming stepped up and grabbed the long necked woman by her throat and pinned her to the wall, cupping his free hand over her mouth.

"God damn, that was fucking annoying, you know that?" He told her, ignoring the scared and wide eyed look he was receiving. "Where's the boy?" He asked her, releasing her mouth.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Freaks, the lot of you. Why can't you leave good, well-to-do people alone?" She said defiantly.

"If you don't tell me where the boy is, I'll make sure whatever has been done to him look like a walk in the park compared to what will happen to you." He threatened her.

"What are you? His kind?"

"Answer the question." He told her as his open hand closed to become a fist and three metal blades pushed out from between his knuckles. Two of the blades grazed both sides of her cheeks, making hair width cuts, while the middle one stopped just before her nose.

"Up-upstairs." She stuttered as a small yellow puddle began to form underneath her. Wolverine retracted his claws and dropped her in disgust. She slipped and landed in her own piss, not even aware of it.

"And for you information, some of us enjoy being freaks." Hermione said, brandishing her wand as she made her way past the sorry excuse for a woman.

"Which door?" Scott asked.

"The one with the locks." Hermione told him, remembering what the twins had told her once.

"Right" He said, lifting his red glasses up. Hermione was shocked when a deep red beam erupted from his eyes and blasted the door at its handle. Storm opened up the door and stepped through. A small gasp was heard from her as the others made their way in. It was like walking into a nightmare. Blood seemed to be painted on the walls and there were even splatters across the ceiling. Tears made their way down Hermione's cheeks unimpeded, as she fought back the urge to get sick.

"Where…where is Harry?" Hermione asked, looking under the bed frantically.

"Chuck, I think we found where the blood came from." Wolverine told him.

"You think!" Hermione said sarcastically, but stopped speaking when she saw Wolverine kick something large and covered with blood. Hermione was about to scream at him when she realized that it was not Harry, but rather his Uncle.

"That's Harry's Uncle." She said before she ran out of the room, intent on finding the bathroom.

"It seems that you are right, Logan." Professor X said with a sigh. "It is as I feared; they are one and the same."

"How does one do this to family?" Beast asked in disbelief, inspecting the small cot-like thing that constituted a bed and the blood splatters on the walls.

"It's disgusting." Scott summed up for the blue man, looking at the rather large sledge hammer near the door.

"Ororo, can you tell how he died?" Charles asked her.

"It looks like massive blood loss, through six incisions made in his neck. They cut through every major artery and the esophagus." She told him. "The cuts though, they look as though…" Ororo trailed off, looking at Wolverine, not sure how to word what she was trying to say. Logan walked over and looked at the large man's throat as well.

"Looks like something I would have done." He finished for her, and smirked.

"Where is Harry?" Hermione demanded as she came back from the bathroom, face still wet where she had splashed water.

"Ms. Granger, your friend, Mr. Potter, is indeed the mutant that we have been trying to locate. I made a brief connection before we left for London, and saw this room, that man in the corner, and a thought of retribution. The next thing I saw was a truck and the thought of London. Harry seems to have a powerful teleportation ability, and while untrained, it seems that he can go wherever he has been before, as he recognized the place that he went to. He was hit by a truck, and while Logan here assures us that he survived the crash, he has been taken by a man called 'Sabretooth'." He told her sadly.

"Well, then lets go get him." She said.

"It don't work like that, kid. Sabretooth is part of the Brotherhood, real high up. We don't know why he took your friend, but I doubt it was for tea." Wolverine told her.

"Logan is right, members of the Brotherhood are difficult to find, at least the ones who know anything, and their last headquarters was destroyed not too long ago and we have yet to find their new one." Xavier told her.

"Can't you do anything?" She demanded.

"Mia, we'll do everything that is within our power. We'll find Harry, know that." Hank told her as Hermione fought back tears. She really was tired of crying.

"We will alert the proper authorities, and I will make sure that they understand what happened, one way or the other. Ororo, Logan, I want you to stay with me. Scott, take Hank and Hermione back to her house so that she can say good bye and gather her things." Professor X told his team.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXHPXMENXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

"Did ya bring me something? Dija, dija, dija?" Toad asked in his usual hyperactive way. Sabretooth just growled and dropped the boy into a seat and strapping him in.

"Back off." He told the greasy kid who was jumping off the walls, literally, at the moment.

"Damn, Sabey, he looks fucked up, yo." Toad said as he got a look a look at Sabretooth's 'prize'. "What are you going to do with him anyway?"

"None of your business. Just fly the plane." Sabretooth told him.

"Geez man, just askin'. So…where we headin'?"

"Canada, I have to see some…old friends." The hairy man said with a feral grin.

"You know, you look kinda scary when you do that." Toad informed Sabretooth.

"Shut up and fly before I squash you."

The flight lasted several hours and Sabretooth was proud of himself for showing so much self control. If his mission was not so important, he would have fried the 'Toad' five minutes into it. They landed on a small dirt landing strip and Sabretooth stepped out of the plane with the boy over his shoulder.

"Beat it." He told the annoying bug as he began to walk towards a line of trees.

"Sabretooth. Clearance: Code Omega X. Delivery. Access Code: 1174-89-1919." Sabretooth told a particularly large tree. A knob at the front of the tree split and opened, revealing a laser that scanned his eyes.

"Identity confirmed: First generation Weapon X project, Sabretooth." A cold mechanical voice said and a large gate appeared out of nowhere. The gate opened and he walked through.

_**(X)**_

"The Director said that you had a specimen you wished to…donate?" A man in a white coat asked.

"Yeah." Sabretooth said, dumping the kid onto the examining table. "Hurry up and look him over, I want to get paid, laid, and be on my way." Sabretooth said irritably.

"Yes, yes, of course. I wonder sometimes if we gave you too much testosterone, but I suppose none of the prisoners ever complained. Of course we wouldn't have heard them if they did, anyway. What do you know about him?"

"He's got the healing factor, so I would have brought him to you anyway. He has bone claws as well. Might be a teleporter too, but I'm not sure." He told the man who seemed to be growing more and more excited.

"Healing factor…_and_ bone claws? Teleportation would be useful as well. My, my, my…" The man trailed off. "Yes, yes, see Jeffries, he is around here somewhere, he'll pay you. The Director is busy at the moment, I think. Go on then." The man told him, shooing him out of the room. Sabretooth growled but complied.

"Now, let us have a look at you…" He said as he began to strip Harry of his clothes. "Hmm… It seems that your healing factor is a recent manifestation…Long term scars are fading away quickly…Should be gone by the end of the week…A most interesting one on your forehead though…no healing there…Now, to see how fast you heal." The doctor said, pulling out a large scalpel. He made a long incision across Harry's chest, and watched as the deep cut bleed but healed itself within a minute, leaving only a white line which was quickly fading away. Within another minute the line was gone and there was no evidence of a cut ever being made. "Amazing…Though not nearly as quickly as Wolverine was able to, but he had the ability for a number of years…We may be able to accelerate it though…Hmmm…Definitely not treated very well. You may be able to heal, but it will take quite some time before your body heals itself from malnourishment…That is definitely something that we can accelerate though…I love technology." He said as he made several deep cuts along Harry's arms and torso.

"Ugh…" Harry said as he felt a biting pain on his upper body.

"No, no, no. Can't have you waking up, now can we? Until we know what were going to do with you, you'll be heavily sedated. I won't be surprised if you don't remember seeing me when you finally come to. I'm Doctor Cornelius by the way. Welcome to New Neverland**(1)**, kid…" Was all Harry heard before the sound around him seemed to becoming through water and his vision got foggy.

"…Old one was destroyed, but we have better funding since we branched off of Weapon Plus. Much better, that." Cornelius said as he took the needle out of Harry's arm. "A nearly lethal dose of Morphine, Codeine, and some of my own special anesthetics…Should keep you down for the next week. We'll give you another one every couple of days, just to be sure though. I think we learned our lesson with Wolverine." The man told Harry's prone body. He walked over and picked up one of Harry's arms and inspected the forearm. "How did it work again…Ah, here we are." He said as he pressed on a point in the center of the boy's palm and another just under the elbow. Three whitish yellow claws slowly pushed themselves out of the limp fist unimpeded.

"Spectacular…you will be perfect. I think I'll run a few tests to see what you can do, some more to see what you can handle, and a biopsy too, I think. Blood, tissue, all that good stuff. See if you are allergic to adamantium. Only seen one person who was, but god it was beautiful. Her skin actually rejected her body and did something close to spontaneously combusting. That was before the test was developed though, not to worry…See if you can handle _it _as well. No one has, but I think you will be different…Ah, Director, so glad you could make it." The Doctor said as a man with a white mask

"What is his status?" The man in the white mask, known as The Director, asked.

"Oh, useful. Definitely useful. Creed did much better then I would have expected him to. Though I don't expect him to do more then fight. Recon was never his strong suit." Cornelius said with a grin.

"You seem far too excited, Cornelius." The man said.

"Oh, I am, I'm sure. With good reason though."

"And that is?"

"We have a second chance. We're getting nowhere trying to clone Wolverine's DNA. Twenty two failures in a row, not a good track record." The Doctor said, thinking about each one. Most killed themselves, others had to be killed, and still others were deformed and deemed useless. A death sentence. Perhaps they should try making it female?

"Get to the point." The Director demanded.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Of course. This boy…he seems to be like Wolverine in almost every physical aspect, well except age, and stature, and-" But the man was cut off quickly as he saw his boss losing his patience.

"Right. He has a natural healing factor, not quite as powerful as Logan's was, but with practice and a bit of tweaking, he should be able to match him. He heals faster then the mutants that we gave the healing factor to with Logan's DNA though. Not only that, but he has bone claws as well…I've seen them. Sabretooth mentioned that he might be able to teleport as well." The Doctor told the man across the table from him.

"Well, that certainly _seems_ to be good news. A perfect weapon, perfect assassin. But Wolverine was supposed to be the perfect weapon as well, and you see what effects that caused." The man said bitterly, motioning to his face.

"Yes, very sad. But as I said, we have another chance. As you know, our technology has made leaps and bounds since our last project and I've been working on an adamantium alloy. If nothing more, it should make the claws and skeletal system a little bit stronger. It is untested, but with the help of Psi Borg, we were able to create a machine that will implant and remove memories, even skills."

"What kind of skills?"

"Things like languages, basic fighting, etc. Once his memory has been modified, it will give us a jump start on his training. What did you have in mind for him anyway?" The Doctor asked.

"To do the job that Wolverine failed to do." He said simply.

"Oh, this _will_ be fun…"

_**End Chapter**_

_**End Chapter**_

_**End Chapter**_

That is the end of the third chapter, hope you all enjoyed it, more to come. Soon, hopefully.

To be clear, '**Neverland**' was a base for the one of the first Weapon X programs. For those of you not X Men inclined, the 'X' in Weapon X does not stand for 'X' but for the Roman numeral. There were nine programs that were designed to heighten or give people powers before Weapon X (all so the government could use them for future wars). They created people like Captain America and some serious baddies. The programs were collectively called 'Weapon Plus'. Weapon X was just the first to experiment on mutants, creating Wolverine, Sabretooth (who also has healing factor and adamantium grafted to his skeleton if you did not know), and a few others. According to Wikipedia, there have been nine other Weapon Plus programs after Weapon X. Weapon X broke away from Weapon plus and have had three other programs, I'll call them 'generations'. Harry is apart of Weapon X's fourth generation.

The Director wears a mask because Wolverine really fucked up his face when he escaped from the facility, the first Neverland, I think. In the movie it was at a damn, but it was different from the comics there and I want to go with this. There have always been more then one mutant in every program, so expect a few new people. Wikipedia was not clear about it, but the Director was a guard (which is how Wolverine got to him) during the first generation of Weapon X. He became pissed at all mutants and took over the program, trying to create mutants to kill other mutants. He was overthrown somehow and he and Jeffries (the guy mentioned earlier) started up another program, after killing the guy who took it from them, I'm sure.

Neverland was described as a sort of Nazi concentration camp for mutants, hence the experiments I guess.

Ten points to the person that can correctly guess what the 'Metal X' is.

Ten more points if you can guess why it would not work with the other mutants (that was a bit of a clue, sort of. If you can guess the metal, the connection should be easier)

A further ten points to anyone who can tell me what it is going to do to him, or allow him to do.

Well, thank you again for reading my story, hope to see you again…or something like that.

Remember to REVIEW, feedback tells me exactly what I fucked up, what needs to be changed, and if you like the damn story.

All right,

**_Omni _**


	4. Chapter 4

And, here we are. Another chapter, hope your all real happy. Going to be starting work soon, packing and shipping for an air shipping facility. Third shift, fun stuff, really. Get an extra 55 cents for it though, so I'll be making ten dollars an hour, not bad. Only four hours a day though, so I may look into getting another job as well. That's enough of my life, lets take a look into the life of my mind, shall we. The story…not the other ones. Not sure if FF has a high enough rating to write that shit down. Have to go to AFF or something.

Anyway, on with the story.

_**Previously…**_

"_Yes, very sad. But as I said, we have another chance. As you know, our technology has made leaps and bounds since our last project and I've been working on an adamantium alloy. If nothing more, it should make the claws and skeletal system a little bit stronger. It is untested, but with the help of Psi Borg, we were able to create a machine that will implant and remove memories, even skills."_

"_What kind of skills?"_

"_Things like languages, basic fighting, etc. Once his memory has been modified, it will give us a jump start on his training. What did you have in mind for him anyway?" The Doctor asked._

"_To do the job that Wolverine failed to do." He said simply._

"_Oh, this will be fun…"_

_**Chapter 4: Weapon X **_

"Careful now…We don't want to damage…Oh never mind, he'll heal anyway. Just put him on the table over there." Doctor Cornelius said, as two brutes dumped his patient on the operating table. They left quickly afterwards so the Doc could get to work.

"I hope the accommodations have been to your liking." He asked the kid, only to receive a groan. The boy had been in one of the holding cells for close to a week now, receiving shots daily because he managed to wake up enough to ask a guard a question one night.

"Right, well, on with the tests then?" The man pulled a myriad of tools from his cupboard on the side and placed them on the table next to Harry. He made a rather deep gash along his bicep and cut out a small piece of muscle, fat, and skin. Satisfied, he injected a hypodermic needle into his arm and collected two pints of blood. Harry didn't make much noise after that.

"I've got a present for you." The man said with a demented smile. He pulled out a large silver collar and placed it around the boy's neck. There were two needles poking out from the inside and once it closed, they stuck into two arteries. "That is a multi purpose tool, so you should get good use out of it. Those needles will pump my anesthetics whenever your heart rate rises above a given speed. It also incorporates some new technology that I developed not too long ago. We don't know if you can teleport yet, but this will insure that don't. See you tomorrow, more tests!" The man in the white coat said excitedly.

_**(X)**_

'_Where am I?'_ Harry thought as he felt himself being tossed onto a thin mattress. The place was cold and dark, wherever it was. It looked slightly familiar, like he had seen it once before, but he could not be sure. 'Azkaban?' Was his last thought before he heard several screams and an annoying buzzing sound met his ears. A stinging sensation was felt at his neck and he knew no more.

_**(X)**_

"And to which setting? Oh, maximum, I think." The clearly demented man said with glee. A loud hum sounded throughout the room.

"Do you know how muscle mass is created, my friend? No? I'll tell you then. Muscle is created through exercising the muscles in such a way that micro tears form along it. The muscle then heals itself over the next few days, making it stronger. That is what the pain is when you workout. That or a large build up of lactic acid, but that has nothing to do with what we are doing today. This machine behind you uses microwaves to create tears in the muscles, just about all the muscles. Instead of micro tears, we will be creating nano tears, which are much smaller, but you will be able to heal them almost instantly. All this means that you will have an increase in muscle mass by the time you leave this table." The Doctor explained to his 'patient',

The small table slid slowly along its guides until it was inside of a large machine that resembled a cat scan. The loud hum increased to a dull roar as one by one, facets of light turned on inside of the machine.

"There is one little drawback to using this technique though." He warned the boy, as a loud groan could be heard even through the humming of the machine. "The microwaves like to tear up everything that is thinner then muscle. Namely, your skin, so I'm afraid that it will have to go. Hair too." He said with a laugh. Harry's groan rose to become a mumbled scream as he felt his skin being torn apart, little by little, even through the anesthetics. The Doctor watched in fascination as the skin of the boy disappeared everywhere but at two places that were protected by an adamantium cover; his eyes and groin area. Not even he was _that_ cruel.

Blood seeped off of the body in torrents, only to be stopped by the microwaves and turned into scabs. This stopped the blood from flowing as much, until the microwaves tore through the hard blood shell and the process began over again. During this time, tiny tears had been made along his muscles and healed rapidly. Within ten minutes he had gained nearly twenty pounds of muscle across his body and lost a nearly lethal amount of blood. The machine was turned off and Harry slowly came out of it, twitching every so often.

"Oh, very nice. You no longer look like a drowned rat, of course, you no longer look alive either…but sacrifices must be made. We'll have to give you an increased protein supplement in your I.V. from now on, as well as a large blood transfusion. Your body should begin recreating your blood in the next couple minutes, but the transfusion will help. Just a couple more sessions like this and you will look presentable. Your epidermis should grow back within the next 24 hours, so we will see you in, what? Two days then? Have to make sure you have strengthened your skin once it is re-grown." The Doctor told the boy, who resembled something that had been hit by lightning and then flash fried.

_**(X)**_

"Glad to see you again, boy. You know, we really should give you a name. You've been here what, three weeks already? Yes, you need a name. I'll ask the Director if he can give you one. He doesn't trust me with names ever since I suggested calling 'Copycat' juggs. One little joke…Oh well, enough of that. You haven't been sedated since yesterday, so you should be coherent enough to at least respond. Can you hear me?"

"Ugh…Wh-where am I?" Harry asked groggily. Everything was bright, so bright. He tried to focus, and things became much clearer, but still foggy. His whole body felt foreign to him, thicker, and much too stiff.

And his skin felt too tight. Almost as if he had been holed up in the hospital wing for too long.

"See, I said you would not remember. I'm Doctor Cornelius, and you are in the New Neverland facility. You wouldn't be awake right now if I didn't need your feed back. Now, I've got to tell you, boy, you have the most interesting energy signature of any mutant I've ever encountered. Very interesting indeed…"

"I feel…wrong…mutant?" Harry mumbled.

"Well that is to be expected, boy. You lost nearly your entire epidermis, that's your skin, three times so far. You lost all of your hair, its just now starting to come in again. Re-growing your skin got rid of all of your old scars, even that damn lightning bolt on your forehead. That one didn't totally disappear until the last session. And of course, _mutant_. That is what you are, you know. Your powers must have just manifested when Sabretooth found you. Leave it to him to find the best out of all of them."

"Why…no…Scar gone?" Harry attempted a complete sentence and got nowhere.

"'Why no skin, scar gone?' Yes? Well your skin was removed during the microwave process. You can thank that for your extra fifty pounds of muscle. You weigh about 160 pounds now, and look much better for it. Even with all that, you're still too skinny, I think. Though I don't think the Director wants you to be as big as Sabretooth. Your training should take care of the rest. That and the supplements. Yes, you can thank me for removing that hideous scar later, now for the Q and A." Cornelius said, as he unsheathed two very long bars of metal from a large, protected box.

"Here we have two metals. One is adamantium, the other is an odd metal that has been in our possession since Weapon-I. We don't know what it is called; it has just been dubbed 'Metal X'. Metal X has an interesting energy signature as well. It seems to be energized by something that we cannot figure out, which is why it was used in some of the earlier experiments-"

"Ex-expir-ments?" Harry was able to push out.

"Yes, experiments, you daft boy, now shut up. Every time it was used, the experiment failed, so it was discarded for a much more stable metal, adamantium. It's nearly indestructible and only malleable at temperatures that would cook most equipment in seconds. I'm going to see if you are allergic to either of them. No one has ever been allergic to the adamantium, except that one, but I have to test anyway." He said. He examined an end of the adamantium bar, making sure that it was needle sharp, and shoved it inside the boy's thigh.

"Ugh…ahh!" Harry screamed as he felt the cold metal pierce his skin and continue to push further along his leg. "What the hell is your problem?" He was able to say, the pain clearing his head of the anesthetic induced fog. He tried move, but found himself restrained by metal shackles and chains to the table.

"Not going to work, kiddo. Adamantium chains, you see. We try to incorporate it everywhere we can in the facility. Lowers successful escapes. Now see, no allergic reaction to the metal. Tell me, besides the pain, how does it feel?" The Doctor asked. He received a glare for an answer. "Right, you didn't volunteer, did you? Now…for the other one." He said as he pulled the adamantium bar out of his leg roughly.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Harry asked before he felt another bar of metal shoved into his other leg, but the question was ignored.

"Oh my…" The Doctor said as he watched the boy's skin heal around the metal bar, an inch or two still sticking out of the leg. The skin swelled up greatly and was a fiery red before it settled to its original color. The swelling went down slowly, but emitted a strange greenish white light as it did so. Harry gasped as he felt whatever it was stop moving in his leg. He felt it heal around the bar, and the pain went away. It felt…odd, almost familiar, which did not make any sense to him. Why would a metal bar give him a familiar feeling?

"Odd…definitely a reaction to the metal, but the body did not reject it…almost as if it accepted it…My boy…you will be a work of art…" Doctor Cornelius said almost reverently, pulling the bar out quickly. Harry gasped at both the pain and the loss of the feeling.

'_What was that? Where the hell is 'Neverland'? Sounds like an amusement park for small children or something. This guy is worse the Vernon…'_ Harry thought to himself as he tried to understand whatever the man was saying.

"Now, while they may mean nothing to you, I have the rest of your test results in…Seems that even your very blood is filled with energy, not sure what it is, but I'm sure I'll know by the time you are sent on your first mission. It doesn't do anything though, at least as far as I can tell…"

'_That must be the magic in my blood…I guess muggles can read it as an energy?'_

"Anyway, your blood seems to be saturated with both a poison and an antidote, canceling each other out. This is not part of your healing factor though. Your healing factor, by the way, is accelerating naturally at an amazing rate. By this time next month, you might be on par with Wolverine's.

'_Healing factor…Is that why I've been healing myself? And who is Wolverine? I've got to get out of here…'_

"With the help of my 'Accelerated Muscle Enhancer', along with the supplements you have been given since you arrived, you are now as healthy as you should have been. Your healing factor will keep it that way from now on, I believe. So, I think that that is about-"He was cut off by a loud beeping noise and a scream from the boy.

"So you _are_ a teleporter, _wonderful_. You're the first mutant that I have been able to use the collar on. So how does it feel?" The boy continued screaming and was now arching his back as far as the chains around his torso would let him. "Seems that I will have to turn the strength down. Unless you just keep trying to teleport out of here?" As if to answer his question, Harry dropped from his arched position, unconscious.

"Yes, just too stupid to stop. I'll just reset the heart rate monitor…there. Now you should be kept from repeating that little exercise. Can't have you killing yourself, now can we?" The Doctor asked the slightly smoking boy. "Hmmm…maybe it was a bit too high…Nah, I'll call it 'incentive'" He laughed at his own, rather bad, joke.

'Now we can begin the really fun stuff.'

_**(X)**_

Harry was heavily sedated, sitting in front of a large television looking machine. There were several wires connected over his head, with a majority of them connected to the temples. A long piece of metal had been imbedded at the base of his skull, which would send psionic energy and information telekinetically into his brain. The information could actually be implanted in the brain fairly easily since the metal pole actually touched the cerebral cortex. This was very dangerous and risky, but it had the potential for amazing benefits. If the person had healing factor, that is. Anyone else would have died from blood loss. The pole had been implanted and the bone and tissue had healed around it. It would have to be removed once they finished though; otherwise it posed to large of a threat of being hit and destroying the brain.

"So, kid, how do you like my reeducation center? State of the art stuff I tell you. Those wires are attached to specific nerves that will stimulate your brain in such a way that you will, hopefully, absorb the information that we are giving you. Your I.V. is hooked up in here as well, so you will not be going anywhere. Your sedated state should open up your mind to accept the information easier. We'll, have fun." He told him.

Little shocks began to come from the wires, making the skin that they were connected to twitch slightly. A low buzzing sound was heard as the giant T.V. came to life.

"_Welcome,"_ The TV told him. "_To Reeducation Theater, I am your host, Doctor Cornelius. Today, and for the next few weeks, you will be subjected to year's worth of information, crammed into many small, yet painful, pills. The pills are figurative, of course, but the pain is not. I hope you appreciate the opportunity this presents. We can't have you being an idiot, so we will give you information on the sciences; anatomy, physiology, physics, chemistry, biology. The maths; algebra, geometry, calculus. World history, cultural background, economics, government, politics, though you won't need it, first aid, basic survival, languages, martial arts in any form that we plan on teaching you, demolitions, stealth, assassination techniques, basic weapons, mechanics, maybe philosophy if we have time. You're going to be spending a lot of time in the facility, and I need someone who isn't an idiot to talk to, otherwise I would not bother with half of this stuff. By the time we get done with this, you should have a pre-med education. The basics in survival and the other subjects will help to speed up your training. After your procedure, we'll do this again. That said, let's start." _The TV Doctor Cornelius said.

The buzzing grew louder and flashes of images whipped by the screen. The human body…nerves, muscles, bones…veins…the heart…arteries…protein, calcium, ATP, human reproduction…pressure points…the brain. Facts about anatomy and physiology crossed the screen rapidly, too fast for anyone to read, let alone a drugged teen. The flashes stopped suddenly, and a brilliant purple flash lit up the dark room. The pole inside of his head came alive and Harry thought that the world had exploded. Everything that he had seen in flashes became clear, he understood it. And the pain…so much pain. The information about the human body was ignored as pain filled his being. After a few minutes the pain went away, and he felt the information in his head slowly being absorbed.

Then the TV turned on again…

_**(X)**_

"The antidote… sedatives should be… now." Harry heard a voice say, becoming clearer the longer he heard it.

"Wake up, boy." The voice of a slightly familiar person said to him.

"Doctor, the Director is watching through the viewing window above us. Thought you might like to know." He heard another voice say. Yes, that…thing. He called himself Doctor…somebody. His head was still foggy, but it was slowly clearing. His eyesight had never been better though, and everything seemed too clear. Maybe it was just too bright. Everything was white, metal, or a light blue, and it gave him a headache. Or maybe he already had the headache? Things just did not make any sense to him.

'_Something about France? Living off berries…outside crescent kick…knock- out reaction…targets?_ His mind tried to make sense of the jumbled information. _'Need to organize mind…'_

"Thank you, nurse." The Doctor said, as the nurse helped him into a pair of thick latex gloves.

"Morning, glad to see you coherent again. Hopefully this time you won't try and escape. I hope that you enjoyed the first rate education that you received over the last three weeks. It worked much better then I could ever have imagined. You're probably still trying to figure everything out, but I was even able to add a few extras in there as well. The information that is running through your mind will eventually settle down and things will make sense again, I'm sure of it." The man promised him with a wink. Harry wanted to beat the shit out of him. Just one snap to the neck…

"This is one of those times that I wish you could be asleep through the procedure. This procedure is going to be, well, for lack of a better term, a bitch. You cannot be sedated because, though the chance is slim, you may slip into a coma due to the shock and anesthetics. If that happens, your healing factor may not function correctly and you could die. That is something that we cannot afford. As I believe I explained to you, not that you would remember, I created an alloy between the adamantium and the Metal X, I call it Axiom. It has many advantages over adamantium, but I'll tell you about them later. As you won't remember this either, I feel that explaining to you exactly what I am going to be doing will not lead me to any harm." The Doctor took a deep breath and continued.

"You, like many before you, have been chosen to serve Weapon X as a, well, weapon. You are to be used whenever we see fit to use you or if any war should arise. By 'we' I mean the Director, of course. You have already received the memory implants that will be used to aid in your training, and after this you will be receiving the memory alterations. They should make you more…receptive, to our view of things." The man said with a sinister smile.

"You…you won't get away with this!" Harry shouted, struggling to get out of his bonds.

"Oh, believe me, kid. Not are we getting away with this, by the time were done, you'll be thanking me." The man laughed. "Now, these tubes here, they are going to be grafting the Axiom to your bones. Each and every bone, even those little tiny annoying bones in your feet I can't ever seem to remember. Incisions will be made and held open so that the grafting process can take place. A word of advice, I suggest you pass out quickly. While I cannot lie and say that I won't enjoy your screams, we want your psyche to be in good condition…and remembering this won't help that at all. Ready? Here we go!" Doctor Cornelius said as he pressed a green switch and toggled a controller next to a large X-ray screen.

Harry struggled as much as he could, the sound of snapping bones were evidence of this. He was surprised when he felt the bones mending almost immediately. Those freaky whitish yellow claw things shot out of his fists and he tried to use them, but his fists were held down by large metal clamps. A machine poked him in the palm and under his elbow, forcing him to keep the claws extended. An odd smell rose into the air and he saw the source of it. A large tub of something molten and shiny grey was bubbling wildly. The tub was attached to large tubes that were connected to the small, almost needle-like, tubes that the man had said were going to do something to his bones.

'_They're going to put that on my bones?'_ Harry thought wildly, as his struggles increased. A stray thought of escaping his cousins arms made its way through his brain and he tried to…what did the man call it? Teleport? He couldn't be sure, as he was screaming from the pain shooting through his body at the time the man had said it. He concentrated on teleporting and he calmed down slightly when he felt the warm, blanket like feeling cover him again. He screamed in agony as that warm feeling turned cold and he felt like he was being shocked to death.

"Oh, I wouldn't suggest you try and do that. While the collar had to be removed so that we could have better access to your neck, other precautions have been made. I'm sure you understand that we can't have you running out on us?"

The bubbling concoction began to boil with renewed vigor and the tubes moved closer to where they were supposed to be used. Harry watched in horror as thin scalpel slowly moved closer and closer to him. The mechanical arm held another, larger, knife behind it, and it rested at his shoulder blade.

"Your making history, kid." The Doctor told him. Harry couldn't help but not feel the man's excitement. He wasn't about to gutted like a fish and then have a molten liquid dumped onto his bones.

The knife poked at the top of his shoulder blade and Harry could not help but notice how cold it was. The next thing he knew, the knife had sliced from his shoulder to his elbow. The second one behind it made the cut deeper, cutting to the bone. Two clamps secured the skin and a tube ran across the bone, grafting the metal and burning away all of the surrounding skin and muscle tissue. Harry screamed. His back arched, and he could do nothing about it. It was always around this time that something happened to get him out of the mess. Always an opportunity to escape, be it afforded by Dumbledore, the sorting hat, his parents, it did not matter. There was always something. But no one came to his rescue. No one saved the day. And no one in a position to help him heard the screams.

Once the metal had been grafted to his upper arm, the machine went to work on his shoulders, collarbone, and then his upper chest. By the time the machine had lowered itself to his ribs, Harry had lost his voice. It moved lower, cutting through his waist to get to his hips. He began to cough up blood when they reached the sockets holding his legs to his hips. His eyes focused suddenly, looking directly at the Doctor. Eyes so full of hate, of rage, and vengeance.

"You...will...pay..." Harry was able to ground out, sounding more like an animal's growl then anything human. The Doctor, having survived numerous attempts on his life by former experiments, had never been more scared for his life. He was extremely relieved when the boy finally passed out from the pain and shock his body was going through.

Despite anything that was going on around it, the machine continued its job. It sliced along the top, bottom, and sides of first the right, then the left leg, grafting the Axiom the way that it was made to, perfectly. They feet took longer then anything so far, and, as promised, each and every bone was coated. Having the shoulders, upper arms, chest, torso, upper and lower legs, as well as the feet completed, the machine moved onto the more delicate tasks.

The body was turned over, carefully, by the machine to reach the spinal column. The deed took over fifteen minutes to have every bone along the spine, along with some portions of the ribs that it had not gotten to in the back.

'The boy will be paralyzed for the next few days, but he won't notice.' Cornelius thought to himself.

The machine followed the path of the spinal chord up to the neck and cranium. The head, face, and neck were done quickly, leaving a deformed looking...thing. The skin that had to be removed in order for the tubes to have access were mending themselves quickly though. The metal was cooling much quicker then anticipated; otherwise the skin would be boiling off of the metal. The last, and most extensive part of the procedure, was the lower arms, hands, and of course, the claws.

Cornelius forgot whatever fear that he originally had and monitored the grafting of the rest of the arms and claws with rapt fascination. The claws were done first. As the metal cooled, adamantium tools shaped the metal until it was the proper size, length, thickness, and sharpness. A block of steel was dropped from twenty feet in the air above the claws. The steel hit the claws directly, and the block was cut into three pieces, and dropped to the floor. They were cut clean, and the Doctor could barely contain his excitement.

The forearm was last, and it was done quickly, making sure that the pathways for the claws were open, clear, and neat. The last bit of skin was released from the clamps and it mended together slowly. Lines and scars littered the boy's body, blood soaked the table and floors, and the Doctor could not be happier. He looked up to the viewing booth with a huge grin.

"Success!" He screamed at the darkened window.

"Oh yes, success indeed. You will be one of our best, if not the best." He told the boy, as he placed a chain around the boy's neck. The metal clanked together and a pair of dog tags could be seen. The light shined across them, illuminating the black and silver metal. _Raven_ was emblazoned across it.

_**End Chapter**_

_**End Chapter**_

_**End Chapter**_

Well, as it says, this is the end of the chapter. I hope that you enjoyed the story this far. The next chapter should be out soon, hopefully. There will be more magical mutants shortly; maybe I'll have something happen at Hogwarts. Next chapter, we'll see what happened to Hermione in the last month and a half, what the other kids are doing, the order running around like chickens with their heads cut off (maybe).

I'd like a list of people that you guys and girls want to see be mutants. It doesn't guarantee that I will use it, but even if your suggestion gives me an idea that I decide to use, I'll give you cred for it, deal?

All people are game.

Limitations: no one over the age of sixteen (this excludes the twins, unfortunately)

Powers should either fit their personality or the opposite of it

Powers should be augmented by their magic (though it does not have to be)

**Explanation of a couple of things:**

Hermione is not mystique, nor will she be a shape shifter in anyway. She is probably stronger then most people, a match for Logan, but weaker then Beast. She has a slight precog ability, but is probably limited to people she knows. She was already a veritable genius; Professor X just pointed it out that it may have been part of her ability seeping through.

Harry's healing factor is on par with Wolverine's now. That means nearly instant healing, since his bones won't break anymore. About the Axiom and what is better about it then regular adamantium, it will be explained in the next chapter or so. Harry's teleporting ability, it's like Nightcrawler's, only it has been changed because of his magic. Now it's like a form of very easy apparition for Harry, though he does not know that yet. Harry was given all the information so that he would be a smart weapon, but a weapon nonetheless. We'll see how that goes…

As for why I gave them the powers that I did…we'll, I'm not too sure about that one myself. Hermione turned out the way she was because I figured that their might be heritable traits among the X genes, so she turned into a female beast type character. And I imagine her looking very good in blue skin. (See XMEN movies and check out mystique) though I don't plan on having her run around naked.

And for Harry, I always saw him as losing faith in the world and going rogue for a while and becoming a Logan type person. I just gave him the reason, abilities, and claws to do it. The teleporting is like a secondary power, like apparition, only in puffs of black sulfur. I had originally thought of making Harry blue instead, but passed on that. He will be discovering some uses for his new metal skeletal system in a couple of chapters, so those who wanted a 'unique' ability, well, its sort of unique. No other wizard/mutant will be able to do it though.

The new wizard/mutants (got to think of a name for that) will have odd, unique, or useless powers. Just like the rest of the mutants.


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, glad you all could return to the best fic in the world, created by me, the All Powerful Omnis Potens. Or I used to be, anyway. Omni Black now. This chapter should shed some light on whatever every else has been doing since Harry's been MIA.

All right, and on with the story.

_**Previously…**_

_The forearm was last, and it was done quickly, making sure that the pathways for the claws were open, clear, and neat. The last bit of skin was released from the clamps and it mended together slowly. Lines and scars littered the boy's body, blood soaked the table and floors, and the Doctor could not be happier. He looked up to the viewing booth with a huge grin._

_"Success!" He screamed at the darkened window._

_"Oh yes, success indeed. You will be one of our best, if not the best." He told the boy, as he placed a chain around the boy's neck. The metal clanked together and a pair of dog tags could be seen. The light shined across them, illuminating the black and silver metal. Raven was emblazoned across it._

**_Chapter 5: Introductions and Leads _**

"Are you all set dear, have everything packed…extra floss…mouthwash…" Hermione's mother dissolved into tears once again. "My baby girl…" She said, tears in her eyes, as she latched onto her daughter for the fourth time in the past hour.

"It's okay, mom, I'll be fine." Hermione reassured the sobbing woman. Really, you would think she would be used to this after sending her daughter to a boarding school for most of the year. She was just glad that her parents didn't know about every little thing that went on at Hogwarts. She shuddered to think about her mother's reaction to her escapades. Probably not much worse then her father's reaction, actually. The troll incident alone would have been enough cause to pull her out. The only thing that they knew, as far as she knew, was that she had been petrified by a large snake during her second year. And that was only because they contacted McGonagall after they received unopened letters. She wasn't really sure why they had allowed her to stay, but she was sure her father had something to do with it.

"As if being a teenage girl wasn't enough, hormones and magic and mutants…"

"Oh my." Hermione's father cut in, and Jane slapped him on the arm.

"Oh hush, you. Just stay safe, dear. We see so little of you as it is. And mind your uncle…" She stopped again and hugged her daughter, taking in her new appearance once more. "Their beautiful, baby girl, your eyes. They truly are. And I always did think you looked best in blue." Her mother told her, not sure whether to laugh or cry again.

"Mother," Hermione said indignantly with a huff. "Thank you." She said softly, smiling as well. She could understand her mother's shock at seeing her daughter blue but she had feared that she would reject her. Few people had accepted her and saw through her bookish exterior. Harry, Ginny, and Neville had, as well as her parents. Ron was her friend, but constant arguing would fray anyone's nerves, and she didn't know about Luna. The girl was just weird, but she seemed to have an interesting insight to things. Maybe she should get to know her.

"Well, come along then, we must be getting back, I'm sure." Hank said, giving his sister-in-law a squeeze on the shoulders and patting his brother on the back. "All packed? Right then." The large blue man said as they made their good byes. Once they were boarded on the plane, Prof. X caught Hermione's attention.

"Yes, Professor?" She asked.

"I was wondering, Hermione, if you might permit me to get a feel for your magic, your signature, if you will. I believe that once I can recognize magic, then I may be able to recognize magical mutants. They may be able to naturally black my mind, but I might be able to find them, if not contact them." The Professor explained.

"Okay." Hermione said after a moment. After Harry had explained about Occlumency and Legilimencey, she had been a bit worried about someone invading her mind. The wheel chaired man took on a look of concentration and she felt a soft presence in her mind after a minute. It felt nothing like what Harry had described, but that was a difference in who was doing the invading. Besides, Xavier didn't use magic. That also explained why it was harder to detect magical beings. It was just the opposite for a Legilimens, who were able to invade a muggles mind easier then a wizards or witches. The presence slipped out after a few more minutes and the Prof. took a breath.

"It seems that after all my years, there is still more to learn, and training to be done." Xavier said with a smile. "Especially if I'm to contact you in the same way I do the others. Hmm… that is interesting." The man said, before his face took on the same look of concentration it had been before. "Scott, north north-east. 300 hundred miles, Scotland, I believe." He said after wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. Logan, Hank, and Ororo looked at him expectantly. "There is another one, magical. His second stage of manifestation hit, and he can't control it." He explained.

"Second stage?" Hermione asked. How many stages were there? What did they represent?

"Depending on a mutant's power, and the situation, their full power may come out at once, which is hard to control and dangerous and usually only happens in times of great stress, or in stages. Most mutants are between a level one and three. Level one mutants are like your father, they have a gift that is relatively easy to control and poses little danger to themselves or anyone else. He does not have as much potential to become stronger in his ability as others though, and he is fine with that. Hank is a level three mutant, strength, intelligence, agility, and he still has potential to increase his powers. Ororo, myself, and possibly Scott are level four. Ororo can learn new ways to manipulate the weather, I can learn better control over my mental and telekinetic abilities, and eventually Scott will master his optic blasts and be able to take his glasses off. That is not to say that is our limit, but they are goals that we still have. Logan has an amazing healing ability and is possibly twice as old as I am. He is a unique case, somewhere between a three and a high four. Level five and omega level mutants have near limitless potential and must have the most control." He explained.

"So, where would I be?" Hermione asked.

"You would be a three, like your uncle, if it weren't for your magical ability. I don't know much about it, honestly. It increases your potential, certainly; perhaps I'll have to devise another set of classifications…" Xavier said to himself as he locked himself into a chair holder for his wheel-chair.

"Since you were going to be a relatively powerful mutant, one of your abilities made itself known early on, helping your comprehension, retention, and mental stamina. Puberty or stress is usually the catalyst for the second stage. A third is rare, and I have only met a couple of mutants that went through one. The second is usually the final stage, with the third unlocking abilities may have been locked or repressed for one reason or another. You went through your second stage earlier, and I believe that it is safe to say that it was your final one. It is also happening to young man that we must help."

_**(X)**_

"Professor, the plane, its not responding." Scott said as lights began to flash in the cockpit and a low siren went off. The plane was tilting at an odd angle and Scott was beginning to lose his cool. Logan huffed and tried to take over the controls with the same amount of luck, accidentally breaking part of the handle. They were gliding now, at the mercy of the wind.

"Professor, how close are we to the mutant?" Hermione asked.

"Very close, we should be able to see his residence from here." Xavier said, slightly confused as to why he could feel but not see anything he was supposed to be able to.

"I got a bad feeling about this. Like we shouldn't be here." Logan told them, his claws barely contained. The man was on edge.

"It's the wards. Muggle repelling charms, that's what you're feeling, Logan. Probably unplotable as well. Massive amounts of magic energy disrupt muggle electronics, and multiple wards would certainly do that to a plane. Think of it as a dead-zone for technology. If you weren't able to sense him, Prof., you would not have ever been able to get close to the house. You'll have to land the plane and I'll have to take you through them the wards, if they permit me." Hermione told them. Logan was still very much on edge but Xavier put the plane down slowly. The others stayed on the plane, but Hermione took Professor Xavier by the hand and as she walked with him up, he rolling by her side, to the house. That is, she would have, if they were not stopped by an elderly lady with a vulture topped hat.

"Stay where you are, you are uninvited and caught on my property with the intention of gaining entrance to my home. I won't even begin to question how a muggle made it through the wards, or why you are blue. State your names, business, and your arms." The old woman demanded, wand pointed and glowing at them.

"Mrs. Longbottom?" Hermione asked in slight disbelief. Neville?

"Show me your arms!" She demanded, and Hermione understood. She rolled up the sleeves of her shirt to reveal azure colored skin, but no dark mark. The Professor caught on and bared his arms as well, assuming that she wished to see that they carried no weapons.

"Answer the questions." She demanded again.

"You have our deepest apologies, Madam. My name is Charles Xavier, my companion is-"

"Hermione Granger, soon to be sixth year Gryffindor, top of her year, Muggle-born. Second only to two others in two classes, Defense by Harry Potter, and Herbology from my grandson Neville. State your business." She said sharply, wand still out. Hermione was dumbstruck, had this been what Neville had to put up with? No wonder he could be so timid.

"Off course, I am here to make sure that your grandson makes it out of his predicament. It will be easier to explain if you were to see it. Do you have an area that is inhabited by several plants, a nursery perhaps?"

"Yes, and what kind of predicament?" She demanded.

"Nothing life or death, he simply seems to be…stuck. It is true, I am what you call a muggle, and I pose little threat magically, madam." Xavier said, holding up his hands.

"I suppose you brought him through the wards then… and why are you blue, young lady? Such an unbecoming color for a young lady. Potions experiment no doubt. My grandson has no aptitude for it, of course, like most things. But he does thrive with his plants. Showing a little bit of a back-bone, finally." Mrs. Longbottom said as she motioned them to follow her. "What did you children think you were doing, breaking into a heavily guarded ministry building…could have been killed…snapped wand, have to get a new one…custom perhaps? Maybe at his coming of age." The older woman spoke to herself as they followed her.

The Professor gave Hermione a penetrating look at the mention of breaking into a governmental building, and she knew that she was going to have a bit more explaining to do about the magical world, and its current climate.

"You grandson, while magical, is also a mutant, Madam Longbottom." Xavier explained quickly as they made their way through the house. He could feel that the boy was becoming worried and agitated, but he could feel it in the foundations of the house as well. Hermione noticed as well and wondered what Neville had done.

"Really now? Don't know how that will help him; perhaps he will take heart in the fact that he is unique. He had a cousin that we thought had wandless abilities until we realized that he couldn't do anything other them move things with his mind, poor Geon died in the last war." Hermione came to the conclusion that the woman like to hear her self talk and probably talked about family or people in general more then anything.

"Neville, darling." The Longbottom matriarch called when they reached the largest green house Hermione had ever seen. No one answered her call. "Neville, darling, we have guests and they would like to talk about something with you." She said.

"Go away." A gravely voice said from somewhere behind a giant bush she realized was devil's snare. It was continually moving about and around something, but it whatever it was, was being blacked by the carnivorous plant. Was Neville stuck in Devil's Snare?

"Neville, my name is Charles Xavier, and I run a school for the gifted. I understand that you are magical, but you share something in common with them. You are a mutant as well."

"Mutant?" Neville questioned. Unlike most purebloods, he sometimes read muggle books or one of the newspapers that his grandmother kept. He understood little of it, but he did remember an article on mutants in America and some sort of registration act.

"Yes, a mutant, as am I. It is okay to come out." Xavier told him softly.

"I don't know what I am, but I doubt you could help me… Never even heard of anything like this… too much time with plants… I'm dirt…" Was barely heard, the last becoming more gurgled and deeper as it went.

"Neville, it can't be that bad." Hermione said, stepping in front of Mrs. Longbottom and the Professor.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?" Neville asked, recognizing her voice.

"I'm a mutant as well; the Professor came to my house with my uncle. And don't worry about how you look; the Professor said that you were just stuck. Besides, I'm blue." She told the bush. No one spoke for a few minutes but a hollow 'fine' could be heard before the devil's snare began to loosen up. Hermione could not see anything but a bunch of boulders on a hill for a moment before she realized that she wasn't looking at a hill. Or boulders. It was Neville.

"Hi, Hermione." He said, standing up and waving. He was large and made out of dirt and rocks. Pieces of dirt fell off of him as he walked towards them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Neville. You seem to possess an ability manipulate earth materials, or at least can turn your body into earth. There is a man named colossus that can do something similar, but with metal. You might like to meet him. I'd like to offer you a place at my school to train your abilities so that you may be in more control of them, not unlike you do for your magical abilities at your school."

"You're going to go to this school, Hermione?" Neville asked.

"Yes, my uncle is one of the professors there as well, I believe. And they said it won't interfere with our magical studies as long as we have enough control over our powers that we won't hurt ourselves or anyone else." She reassured him. He nodded slowly.

"Are you okay with this, Gran?" Neville asked hesitantly.

"Your growing up Neville, make your own decision." She said, and Neville knew that despite how her words sounded, she was admitting that he was mature enough to make his own decisions, something that she had been ignoring for some time. Neville gave them a large smile that looked comical with his boulder like head made out of dirt and things that resembled teeth made of rocks.

"I'll do it." He told them.

"Okay, Neville, now just relax, think about how you usually feel…" The Professor began to talk Neville through turning back to the way he was. With enough training the boy might be able to choose the material that he transformed into, so much potential…

_**(X)**_

A near invisible jet flew at mach speeds across the ocean, heading to America, carrying passengers of a unique kind. Mutants.

"Big, isn't it?" Hank asked his niece, who nodded. She was being quiet, too quiet for a girl like her in a situation like this. Usually she would be asking a thousand questions a minute. She had been excited when the boy, Neville, had joined them. Apparently they were friends, but he had gone to sleep after he marveled at the amazing 'muggle magic' as he had said. The transition from living earth to human must have been taxing. Hermione explained to him that most pureblood wizards, as Neville was, were ignorant to the rest of the world. The boy would be in for a massive educational experience. He just hoped that the boy would survive a trip to the mall with some of the hyperactive mutants that lived at the Institute.

Now though she just stared unseeingly out the window of the X-Jet. When he was younger, the ocean made him feel better about himself. There are few things more admired, feared, and misunderstood then the big blue ocean. And if the ocean could handle it, so could he. A juvenile mentality to be sure, but even now, the ocean brought him inner peace.

"Why…why is it always him? Harry, he never gets a break." She said, still not looking from the window. A long trip was not a good thing if you were plagued his bad thoughts. She was worried about her other friend, Harry, and he knew that there was little he could do to make here feel better short of finding him. Hank thought about it for a minute before answering.

"How so?" He asked her. Hermione remained silent for a few moments before she began to speak.

"His home life is horrible. He never talks about it much, but it reminds me of some of the cases I'd seen on TV about abused children. He's never outright said that they did, but I've heard him talk in his sleep. Talking about a cupboard as a room and going without food. Every year Harry puts one a little bit of weight and comes back skinnier then before. My friend Ron and his brothers took him away a few summers ago and mentioned he had been locked in his room with bars on the windows and a flap in the door to feed him. I've seen them, at the train station. They're horribly rude. The father and son look like small whales while Harry looks like a pencil. After my first year at Hogwarts I wrote letters to the Headmaster to have him removed from his relatives. But he always said that it wasn't safe anywhere else and now is questioning his mental health after his godfather was killed."

"How is it unsafe? It would seem to me that he would have been safer else where. If there wasn't physical abuse before, there is certainly evidence of it happening recently. His uncle is dead now." Hanks said.

"Good riddance too. I think I would have killed him myself." Hermione said under her breath, but Hank caught it, but did not comment.

"Harry's safety is an issue, though." She admitted. "The dark wizard Voldemort wants him dead. I told you that he was captured and used in a dark ritual to bring him back, but his minions or his spirit were trying to kill him for years before that. Every year, almost like clock-work, something would happen. Sometimes more then once in a year. Not sure if the troll counts though." Hermione said to herself.

"And you have been involved in this as well?" The blue man asked. He knew it was true before he even asked though. The way that she spoke of the boy, he knew that they were close friends and most likely ended up with him in his adventures. Probably the Ron kid she had mentioned earlier and the boy, Neville, they had just picked up as well.

"Yes." She said quietly. "In just about every step, whether I wanted to or not." She said quietly, thinking about how they had all met Fluffy. "Just this past month Voldemort tricked Harry into thinking that his godfather had been kidnapped. He is always being told to not do rash things and go to adults for help. He tried to, but the Headmaster had been kicked out of the school, replaced by a corrupt ministry worker, and our head of house had been attacked before then. We made it to the ministry building and somehow into the Department of Mysteries, something like an elite intelligence agency of sorts. But…" Hermione stopped, the memories were painful.

"It was a trap." Her uncle finished for her. She nodded sadly.

"Yes. I was hit with a lethal curse. The scar probably won't be visible now, it was purple. I just stopped taking potions a few days ago for the complications that it caused… I had to re-grow a kidney and… my uterus." She told him. She'd never told her parents any of this, and none of her friends had known the extent of her injuries.

"Neville broke his nose and his wand, Ginny, Ron's sister broke her ankle, Ron was attacked by brains, don't ask, and Harry had to forcefully fight off a possession attempt. His godfather was killed when he was sent through a portal that I think is supposed to be a one way trip to the afterlife." She didn't say anything after that, hoping that her uncle would not be too mad at her.

"You never told them, your parents, about anything that you went through, did you? I'm not talking about just recently either."

"No… I always thought that if they knew, they would pull me out, and they couldn't do that. I love magic, and can't ever imagine leaving my friends. I almost feel like I'm running away from it right now."

"I understand, and you should have told them. While your father was never an X-Man, he was involved in a lot of scraps while we were growing up, some with dangerous people as well. While he would not have been happy about it, he would have understood. He felt the same way that you do, and it was only after our parents died that he was able to move away. You'll need to tell them sooner or later." He told her, and she nodded, relived that he wasn't going to make her tell them immediately.

"With all of his hardships, he has persevered, correct? Perhaps then it is his destiny, to survive through adversity? Training, maybe for a higher purpose." He told his niece. She looked away from the window and gave him a hard look.

"Don't patronize me, Uncle Hank. I know that you don't believe in fate." She said, before looking back to the ocean. Hank sighed.

"True, but before you went off to your school, I didn't believe in magic either. You live in a world where the impossible and incomprehensible is nearly mundane, you yourself have manifested a precognitive ability, and you question the possibility of fate?" Hank asked. Hermione shook her head.

"I don't like the idea that someone, or something, could be so cruel to him, pulling strings like a puppet master, dragging him through fire every step of his life. It isn't fair." She said, quickly wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

"No, it isn't. And perhaps life simply isn't fair. Perhaps he simply has rather bad luck. It honestly doesn't matter, I think. Things will happen as they will; it is how we deal with it that counts. It is through the fires of adversity that our impurities are removed, leaving us stronger for having faced it. It shows our true mettle." He told her.

"On the same token, Uncle, some fires can also consume and destroy metal." Hermione said, thinking about the possibility of another hardship eventually breaking Harry, too distracted by her thoughts to realize her play on words.

"True, but your friend must be made of better metal then most. Adamantium, I'd say." Hanks told his niece with a smile.

"No…stronger." She told him, feeling that it was true, smiling now as well. She felt ashamed for having doubted her friend. No one would break Harry. It could not be done, she was sure of it. She turned around in her seat, feeling much better then she had.

"So, tell me about the kind of courses offered at this school…"

_**(X)**_

"Professors, your back!" An excited voice from seemingly nowhere. "Oh… new students!" The voice said before it left. Logan rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"The welcome committee will be here in a minute." The feral man said before making his exit.

"Welcome, children, to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning." Professor X told them as they headed towards the doors.

"Where are we, exactly though?" Hermione asked.

"We are at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Westchester County, New York." Hank replied.

"Westchester? Isn't that close to Salem? I always wanted to see the Salem Academy, one of my uncles used to be a Professor there." Neville told them.

"Yes! That means that there has to be something similar to Diagon Alley nearby." Hermione said excitedly. "And we can find out what the laws are here. Do you think they have the Statute of Secrecy here as well? I'd love to be able to practice magic here." Hermione told Neville. Neville wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment. Not being able to use magic just seemed…wrong.

"Something similar, but not exactly, and I think that they are more lax on underage magic as well." Neville said, trying to remember what his Uncle Newton had told him about America before he passed. The doors opened automatically, whether because of the Professor or because of electrotics, elactronikes? He didn't know. The door opened up to reveal a large, manor like house inside, probably bigger then the Longbottom Manor.

"Here! There here!" The same voice from before shouted, this time the source could be seen as she stepped out from a wall, making Neville trip.

"Oops! Sorry! I didn't mean to knock you down like that. I'm Kitty, by the way. Who are you?" She asked in what seemed like one breath as she reached for his hand to help him back up.

"N-Neville Longbottom." He said, trying to push back his nervousness. The girl seemed to have more energy then should be allowed. "Are you a ghost? I've only ever seen ghosts go through walls." He asked, making her laugh.

"When have you seen a ghost before?" A little kid asked, before he was hit upside the head by a black kid with what almost looked like a Mohawk.

"Spyke!" A red-headed teen from the back of the forming group yelled as the kid who had been hit in the head split into several copies. The fact that he was several people didn't seem to bother him and continued his questions.

"Where? Where? Where?" They asked until Neville was backed into a corner by the clones, only for the clones to be picked up and forced together.

"Hey! No fair!" The boy whined, looking at the red-headed girl maybe a couple of years older then Neville was.

"Settle down children." Xavier said, and it was apparent that the majority of the older teens took slight offense to being called 'children'. "The new arrivals that I have with me will be joining our school for an undetermined amount of time, most likely until they have sufficient control over their abilities." The Professor told them. "The young lady on my left is Hermione Granger; she is the niece of one of our very own Professors, Professor McCoy."

"Hi." Hermione said to them, not used to all of the attention.

"And to my left, and as some of you may have heard, is Neville Longbottom."

"H-hello." He said, waving a slightly, only to pull his hand back and put it behind him when he saw his arms begin to turn grey and stone-like, resembling a statue.

"Don't be nervous, and do not worry about how you look, each and every one of the students here are gifted in one way or the other, and we are all here for the same purpose, to better ones self. I hope you two find friends among your fellow mutants." Charles said with a smile, before rolling off to wherever.

"Play nice, dear." Hank told his niece, rubbing her shoulder. She glared at him and he walked out laughing.

"Dinner will be served later tonight so that you may get better acquainted with your peers. The Professor will call." Storm said, before she too walked out, her cloak billowing behind her in a way that reminded Hermione of Snape.

"_Scott_," The red-headed girl said, and indicated to the crowd.

"Oh, right. Neville, Hermione, this is just about everybody your going to see living here. There are some others, but you'll meet them later, I'm sure. This is my girlfriend, Jean Grey." He said, motioning to the red-head, who waved happily at them. "That's Spyke." He said indicating the boy who had hit the kid in the head.

"Yo, that was cool what you did with your hand, man. Is it always stone?" Spyke asked.

"N-no, I was dirt and stone last time." Neville told him, thinking about his experience as dirt, and why it had changed this time. He didn't notice that his arm had looked like the grey stone statue he had brushed his hand against as they were walking in. Or the fact that his fingers had turned to dirt as he thought about it.

"The annoying multiplier is Jamie." Jamie hit himself on the head and split twice.

"Call,"

"Me,"

"Multiple,"

"Man!" The three said together. Hermione was vaguely reminded of the twins and shuddered.

"Multiple _man?_" A girl with short red pig-tails and a Scottish accent asked incredulously. "You can't even see over the counter." She said before a couple others laughed. Hermione saw a glint in the boy's eyes that also reminded her of the twins, something the pig-tail girl did not catch. _'Strength in numbers'_ Hermione thought.

"That's-" But Scott was cut off.

"Rahne Sinclair, most call me Wolfsbane." She said, giving them a grin, and Hermione saw that her teeth were sharper then most and wondered why they called her that.

"That's Rogue." He said, and a girl with a long white streak in her hair nodded to them. She didn't seem particularly cold, but she didn't look too friendly either. "Next is Kitty Pryde."

"Kitty or Shadowcat." She said with a smile.

"Bobby Drake and Piotr Rasputin, or Peter."

"I'm the Ice-Man." Bobby said, swirling a blue mist like substance in his hand.

"And I am sometimes referred to as Colossus. It is pleasant to make your acquaintance, comrades." The large teen told them with a Russian accent.

"And-" Once again Scott was cut off, this time by a puff of black smoke that appeared in front of Hermione.

"I am Kurt Wagner, also known as the Amazing Nightcrawler!" The boy said with a German accent, making Hermione jump back in surprise and her choker fell to the ground. The others stared at her for a moment, and Hermione felt like she wanted to run away.

"Blue has never looked so good…" The teen, Kurt, mumbled. But Hermione caught it, forcing her to blush purple. She looked up to see him press a button on his watch and his image shivered until she was looking at a blue skinned, black haired boy with a tail. "A pleasure to meet you." He said a little louder, not noticing her blush.

"You as well." She said, having gotten herself under control, and decided that she wasn't going to be surprised by anything else she saw.

"Come on, we'll show you around!" The energetic girl, Kitty, said, grabbing hold of Neville's arm and dragged him up the stairs. Neville had a look on his face that begged 'why me?', but she could spare no sympathy as she too was dragged by the little boy named Jamie and followed by Kurt.

_**(X)**_

"How are they coping, Hank?" The Professor asked. He was referring to his niece and her friend, Neville. It had been two weeks, and they seemed to be getting used to the chaos that was the Institute.

"Well, almost too well. But then again, they are magical and probably dealt with similar circumstances." The blue man told Xavier. "She's still worried, they both are, actually, but she seems to be doing worse off then he is. She spends a lot of time in her room, or wandering the grounds. She is also worried that her friends back home will believe that she was captured or hurt. It's a war there, after all, things like that happen. Her parents and Neville's grandmother know where they are, but she fears that they might still worry. She didn't have time to write letters to them before she left."

"Yes, there was little time. I have seen her punching trees the other day. She may never be as physically strong as you are, but she will be quiet a force to be reckoned with. You should have one of the older students take them to the Danger Room. It might help her to relieve stress. And perhaps she might be able to write a letter once she finds a delivery owl. Have you made any progress on contacting the Magical branch of the Government?"

"No. Hermione believes that the easiest way would be to randomly bump into a wizard or find a delivery owl, which she can't find unless she knows someone here with one or can rent one. If she hadn't been told about the shops in London and how to get there, she would have never known about it. There is also the Salem Academy they mentioned when we arrived, but you would need to go through the same channels to find it as well. Perhaps you could try and locate magic users in the same way that you locate mutants?" Beast asked him. The Professor seemed to contemplate that for a moment.

"That is a brilliant idea, Hank. I'll have to have one of the two go down with me to see Cerebro, but I am certain that will work. I'm rather surprised that the students haven't shown more… excitement about magic." Xavier said, wheeling over to a window. At the moment it was still in the first month of the summer and classes were still canceled for another week. Children needed a vacation like anyone else, even if they had to stay at school for it.

"I don't think that they have told them. Scott is aware, as are the Professors. They are used to having to keep their abilities a secret from 'muggles'. I believe Hermione sees us as falling under the 'extenuating circumstances' clause and has probably had Scott promise not to tell." Beast mused.

"Possibly, but I would think that Jean would have brought it up during our exercises. There is little he can keep from her. They will have to tell them soon, perhaps one of the children knows of what they are looking for. And besides, if the magical authorities have not shown up by now, it is unlikely that they will."

"That does make sense." Hank said, thinking about it. The door opened up to reveal Logan and Storm.

"What do ya' need, Chuck?" Logan asked as he took his usual spot by the wall and Storm took a seat next to Beast.

"I managed to momentarily find Sabretooth. It seems that there is another facility similar to the one you escaped from, Logan." Xavier told the group, and Wolverine visibly stiffened. "It seems that Sabretooth has been working for them to fund his search for Magneto. He doesn't know exactly where he is, but he seems to have a lead. Contact was broken fleetingly and I lost him."

"Where was he?" Wolverine asked in a growl.

"Canada, close to the original facility. It is shielded from my mind so I cannot give you an exact location. I believe that that is where our lost mutant friend is being held. Sabretooth was going back to train him. It may be too late." Charles said sadly.

"I'm going." Wolverine said, getting up and leaving before anyone could voice objections. None came.

"Storm, Beast, take Scott and Jean and go with Wolverine. I believe that they are ready. Bring it down if possible. Take supplies." He told them. The two left shortly after getting the closest coordinates they could get.

"I hope they get there in time." Xavier said to himself. He had never met the boy, but after hearing about him from the stories that Hank's niece had told, and living through the bloody and brutal abuse from his Uncle… He knew the tortures that went on _those_ facilities. If he was deemed useless, which was unlikely, he would be killed. But if he wasn't, which was evident from Sabretooth being required to train him, the consequences would be dire. They had almost succeeded with Wolverine. He prayed that they would fail again.

A week later, four of the five sent out came back empty handed.

_**(X)**_

_**(X)**_

_**(X)**_

That's the end of this chapter. Why have I not been updating? Haven't felt like writing, honestly. I never said I enjoyed, I get just ideas sometimes. I ran out of them sometime late in the summer and stopped updating. The Naruto fic was my last shot at trying to force something from a vague idea. It is slightly original, but pretty much useless. I'm on break now and without a job, which leaves a lot of time to do nothing. I had to read my own fic just to get back into the state of mind to write it. I might put out another chapter, or keep writing now that I have reclaimed my interest into the year. My other stories will probably be updated as well, but I'll have to read those as well and find a direction for Black Ascension. I may have to end it at the end of the summer and start a sequel if I can't get it moving. I wonder sometimes if I would have read the damn thing if it wasn't my own fic. So many damn ideas and a myriad of ways to make them work.

Anyways, I may just be back.

_-Omni Black_


	6. Chapter 6

Alright, the next chapter, hope you people like it.

I was going to wait before I posted this, but I had the next chapter written already and I didn't really like the last chapter. This one should be a bit more interesting.

Enjoy, and remember to review.

**_Chapter 6: Fight and Flight_**

"Fancy meeting you here!" A man in a long white lab coat said excitedly. The exclamation was met with a soft groan, though the man didn't take offense to the lack of greeting. Any more then a groan and his patient would be in need of another dosage of his medicine. How he wished the boy would have at least mumbled something… There were more important thing at hand though.

"This should be familiar; you went to school here, in a manner of speaking." The man continued. _'Wha…' _ Was the only thought that crossed the boy's mind.

"And now were going to continue it. You'll be getting you conditioning, loyalty, memory modification, command words, mission goal, that sort of thing. Can't have your ultimate weapon without an equally strong leash, can you? Once you're conditioned, you'll get actual, hands on, training, but until then, you get to watch some T.V." The Doctor said with a disturbed smile on his face. It was really too bad that he could not add anything other then the directives that the Director had approved of. Mental manipulation was so simple, when you got right down to it, and the boy had absorbed the information given to him so readily, he'd been able to add the extras he had promised. The T.V. screen came to life with a buzzing noise and the Doctor appeared on screen.

"Hello, _Raven,_ and welcome to the rest of your life." The boy felt a jolt go through the back of his head, and the clouds in his mind began to fade, not that he was aware that his mental facilities had been hampered to begin with. _'Raven? I'm not…'_ Another jolt to his mind.

"You are Raven." The Doctor said from the screen. "Repeat."

"What?" He managed to voice. "I'm not…" The sentence was cut short by another jolt to the mind, making him scream in pain. Images began to flash on screen that replaced the Doctor. Known mutants, targets for capture, targets for elimination, advanced training.

"You are Raven." The same voice told him in the same monotone as before. "Repeat."

"Not Raven." He repeated. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew who he was, and who he wasn't. He could barely keep up with the flashes on screen and he could have sworn that his brain was twitchy. Those thoughts stopped as he felt another massive jolt and spat out blood from biting his tongue. The feeling of his tongue mending did not bother him, but the errant thought of wishing for the Cruciatus curse instead did. What was the Cruciatus curse? The screen was now showing a home in some suburban area. Surrey, his mind supplied. But that wasn't right. It couldn't be right. Where was Surrey? The home exploded and he felt sadness for the parents and brother he had lost. But he'd never had a brother, and he'd never been to such a place, he'd lived in… he couldn't remember where he grew up. A soft moan escaped his lips. What was going on?

"You are Raven." Was said again, and this time, it sounded like it didn't quite fit. "Repeat."

"I'm Har…ry…" The boy said, fighting the feeling of uncertainty. Was he Harry? The mind numbing twitching became more apparent before another massive shock was felt and he bit half of his tongue off. It was healed before he could spit out the blood. It was nothing… he couldn't remember where he had lived because of an accident as a child when his powers manifested. He'd been found by Sabretooth a few years later with no more then a primary level education. The Doctor… had taught him everything he knew. The man _was_ a genius after all…

No, that was all wrong…He was Harry. Harry…Potter? He was sure of it. He had lived with his mother's sister and her family, awful people, really. Not like the people at Neverland. They took him in, trained him a little. Taught him spells and potions. The Doctor was a kind old man who liked to play the grandfather card most the time. He always hated chemistry…potions…When had he learned chemistry? When had he learned spells? Magic… magic was real, he knew it, deep within, and it was the only thing that was clear as crystal.

Where was he? Neverland wasn't home, Hog…Hogwa… why couldn't he remember? Magic…flying, floating, the snitch…who was a snitch? Damn things moved too fast, always telling beetles that wrote the news. But that was impossible, Neveralnd was home, the Doctor had practically raised him, unlike the Dusleys… Hogwarts! That was it, the name of the University he had gone to. No, the Doctor had taught him… but not potions, or charms. Infusion of wormwood…asphodel… 'Dreams are the children of an idle mind'… potassium nitrate and powdered nitroglycerin… turn safety off…

"You name is Raven." The voice told him. It was the Doctors. He was bad, right? He hurt him, cut him…taught him, saved him… "Repeat."

"My name… No!" He suddenly shouted. The next shock made his eyes roll into the back of his head and nearly pass out. Why was he saying no? Yes would be easier. And painless. Experiments using shock treatment as a deterrent to psychotic behavior…was he psychotic? No, he was sane, but the papers didn't think so. Maybe they were right? No… it was his scar, a connection to a mad killer hell bent on taking over the world, Vold… Vold… Volts, Jules, measurements of electricity, electricity that was doing things to him… Funny, magic usually had an adverse affect on muggle electronics…Muggles… Magic, it was real. He was known to magic people, many... he had friends… who were they? People always called him freak, never bothering to learn his name, it was a nice name… what was it?

"Your name is Raven. Repeat."

"My name is…name is…" The shock came before he could finish the sentence, and he wondered why. Things, little things that he wasn't even aware of began to slip from his mind. The back of his head felt hot, it hurt, but not like the jolts he had been getting. The Doctor… he taught him things…but he was not a good man. He had powers…healing, claws…something else that he couldn't grasp, and…magic? He was flying, changing, sleeping in a cupboard, beaten, experimented on. Things began to make sense again, even though half of what he was thinking was contradicting himself. A spark from one of the machines went unnoticed.

"Your name is Raven." The voice said. "Repeat."

"My name is Raven." He replied. He was Raven. Perhaps he had been someone else, something else once upon a time, but no longer. He had brief flashes of foggy memories, a large school that wasn't a University, but a school none the less. Such thoughts hurt his head, so he decided not to think of them. New images that did not hurt to think of appeared in his head, but they were not right. Nothing was right anymore. He understood little of what was going on, but he didn't like any of it.

"Good" The voice said. The Doctor. Bad man, hurt him, saved him? "Now for the next part." The flashes on the screen showed pictures of obedience, structure, servitude. Raven got the feeling that he was supposed to be like them. But he didn't want to be like them.

"I am a weapon. I live to serve. Repeat." The voice said. A cold shock that had nothing to do with the electricity pulsing through his brain went through Raven. _'Weapon…'_ They wanted him to be a weapon, and he had the feeling that this wasn't the first time he was being forced into the role. He didn't like that. Glimpses of memories, memories that seemed familiar but at the same time foreign flashed before his mind. He didn't serve. Ever.

"No." He said, and felt more anger at the jolt going into his head then pain. His eyes cleared, losing the last of their glaze from the 'medicine'.

"I am a weapon. I live to serve. _Repeat._" The voice said, a little more forceful then before.

'_Bow to death…'_

'_For your own good…'_

'_What am I…a weapon?'_

'_Teach you the meaning of pain…'_

'_Join me…serve me, and we will rule the world'_

"I am a weapon. I live to serve. Repeat."

But he wasn't a weapon. He would not serve. Never again. Whether he had actually served or was a weapon before was not remembered, but the feeling, the feeling was there. He was no servant, but he understood that they had done things to him, made him stronger, gave him knowledge. They may have turned him into a weapon, but they would not control him. No one would. He felt something wake up inside of him, blossom out from his being. It was warm and familiar, like a long lost blanket. Another shock jolted in his head and the feeling disappeared, and he felt the loss. But it was replaced by another feeling, more powerful then the last but not as comforting. It was familiar as well and entirely his own, unique, and… magical. He smirked despite the pain. He would not serve the Doctor, or anyone else. Ever. Sparks flew from machines as they caught fire, and the screen went blank.

"No!" The Doctor screamed, trying to inject a massive dose of his cocktail into Raven's veins. But he was too late. The boy's skin had begun to glow almost imperceptibly, and his bindings exploded, the rod stuck in his head being forcefully ejected. The powerful, magical feeling diminished slowly until it could barely be felt, as if the rest of it had gone away to wherever the other feeling had run to and Raven felt like he had lost a friend. There was no time for that now. The Doctor backed up slowly, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"Im-impossible…" He stuttered out, reaching for the alarm. He didn't make it. A set of claws impaled both of his arms, cutting clean through bone and muscle. A pair of piercing green eyes with an odd silver sheen to them stared into the depths of the Doctor's soul, and he got the impression he was being judged. The Doctor wondered briefly how the Axiom had somehow managed to be incorporated into the boy's eyes, but the thought was ripped from his head as the boy pulled downward, making ribbons of his arms, the left becoming severed completely.

"Oops," Raven said with a smile. Had anyone seen it, they would think it was quite sadistic, but they didn't, and Raven would have cared less if they had. "Never. I will never serve." Raven told him in his ear, a deadly whisper that would have made the Doctor shit himself, but he had already passed out. "I'm disappointed, Doc, can't handle the pain?" He asked, before retracting his claws and gripping the man by the throat. His claws extended suddenly, shooting through the man's neck and he threw him into a wall. A sudden knock on the door reminded him of the situation.

The door was blasted open and three large men with guns and stun batons walked in, only to stop when they saw the destruction. Raven jumped from the wall that he had latched himself onto and stabbed the two men at the base of the neck. Quick, clean, relatively painless, unlike the Doctor's end. The last one was able to escape his quick swipe and shot him in the chest and the head with what was apparently a high caliber rifle, making him stagger and fall.

"Code: Black, I repeat, Code: Black. Request back up." The guard said frantically. An odd static noise was his only response.

"Ugh, that's a bitch." Raven said as he felt the bullets being pushed out of his body, and picked one out of his forehead. Maybe he _should _have thanked the Doctor. Whatever they had put on him was some strong shit. Nah, destroying his arms and putting him out of his subsequent misery had been thanks enough.

"Don't, do _that_ again." He told the guard as he got up. The guard began shooting again, but Raven covered his face and chest with his arms and ignored the burning pain as shots hit them or was able to dodge them so that he could get close enough to punch him. His claws had been retracted and a sound similar to metal hitting a wall was heard as his fist connected with the guards head. The man's head, followed by his body, crumpled and slid down a wall behind him, landing in the lap of the Doctor. He ran out of the blasted door and darted the opposite way that he heard voices. _'If this is home, why don't I remember the layout?'_ He asked himself, knowing the answer. He paused. He heard shuffling feet, sounding like they were trying not be heard and he jumped into a room next to him. There was no one inside and it was dark. He turned on the lights, to be met with a series of lockers and closet looking things.

"Clothes might be a good idea." He said to himself softly, looking down to himself and noting the lack of it, and the addition of several extra pounds of muscle that he wasn't sure if he had always had. He sliced the lock of one of the larger lockers labeled 'Raven'. It was his, right? Fitting that everything was black. Socks, underwear, a pair of large combat boots, a shirt/vest type thing, pants, and a coat. Raven smirked. He liked them.

"Nano-synthetic Bio-fibers. What, is it alive?" He asked absently as he pulled the pants on. It felt a little like leather and rubber, but it didn't try to kill him, so he pulled the sleeveless shirt/vest on as well and zipped it up. They seemed to conform to him while still looking loose and didn't hinder his movement. The boots, which he was sure, had Adamantium in the toe and heel for whatever reason were next. The coat was similar to a trench-coat, and seemed to be made out of the same material but with more cloth.

He stiffened, he smelled something. Something familiar. The door opened slowly and he crept towards. He threw it open and grabbed the neck of the intruder, and slammed them into the wall. Only to find that he had been stabbed in the arm, chest, and his leg. The pain was barely noticed though, compared to what he had felt, it was like a stinging punch.

"Not too smart…" Raven said as he held on tighter to his captive, looking at the face for the first time. He had thought that they felt light. It was a girl, younger then him by maybe a couple of years. What he had thought were knives slowly retracted as her supply of oxygen was cut off and he saw claws not unlike his pull out of his body, smelling his blood and what the scent that he caught had been, Adamantium. "Guess I'm not the only one." He said as he dropped her and she fell to the floor. He also noticed that she was in the same state of undress as he had been. She gasped as air filled her lungs again. She opened her eyes to be met with striking emerald and silvery eyes looking back into hers. The man, he was too large to be a boy, not that she had ever seen a boy or anyone young for that matter, kneeled in front of her.

"Who are you?" Raven asked, noting her frantic eyes. She was scared? Why? He supposed that he _had_ attacked her, but was that a valid reason for fear? She looked like she was trying to answer, but wasn't sure if what she was going to say was the correct response. Raven sighed. He didn't have time for this. He needed to get out of there, _now_. If she was one of them, which was unlikely, given her fear, he'd have to kill or knock her out. Unless of course this was all a ruse, her fear was fake, and he was in a trap. The decision rested on how fast she answered.

"X…X-23." She managed out finally. Raven looked at her for a minute.

"The hell kind of name is that?" He said more to himself more then to her, ignoring the sudden defiant glare she was giving him. "What are you, and who do you serve?" He asked quickly. The fact that she had been sneaking around, trying not to be found, and her current clothes less state gave him the impression that she was doing the same as him.

"I've never been anything but a weapon," She said slowly, watching her claws push through her skin. There were two on each hand, unlike his three, but she had another that came out of her foot, explaining how he had been stabbed in the leg. "But I don't _serve_ anyone." She told him with venom. "Not anymore." She said quieter. Raven shrugged, it was good enough for him, for now. Escape was more important right now then whether or not she would stab him in the back later. Literally or figuratively. If she had been through what he had, she would want out. He trusted her, he didn't know why, but he did, and he was not about to question. Not at the moment, anyway. He looked up at the lockers and spotted one labeled 'X-23' and threw the clothes at her.

"Hurry up, we need to leave." He told her. She stared at him for a moment. "You were escaping, yes?" She nodded. "Well, I don't want to be caught, and I don't trust anything I remember of this place. Just don't fit right." He said to himself with a slight shudder. She got dressed quickly.

"I think I know a way out." X-23 told him softly, and he followed her out the door and down the hall, the both of them making no more noise then a ruffled cloak. They stopped suddenly, both at the same time and sniffed. Something was ahead; the fact that they had both sniffed the air could wait. Something large, strong, hairy, and male. Raven thought he had smelled this before, but could not remember. X-23 recognized it though, and she shuddered.

"H-him…" She told him, as if it explained her new fear and reluctance to move forward. There was nowhere to go between them and the smell though. There was a change in the scent, and they knew it had caught their's as well. Of course the other party had caught his scent, and he cursed himself mentally, he had been bleeding not five minutes before. And while the cuts had closed, he had not cleaned the blood off. Oddly enough, the holes in his clothing that the claws had made were gone as well. Living indeed.

"Can you fight?" He asked her. She nodded, and he got the feeling that while he might be stronger, she was probably more experienced. Of course, she probably hadn't had the extensive mind training that he had had. Everything he needed was right there, he had just never used it before.

_Snikt. _His claws shot from between his knuckles, noting the shiny gleam from them. He slid one claw against the other, noting the trail of sparks. He got ready.

_Snikt. _Her claws came out as well, darker then his were. She got into a fighting stance.

_Roar. _A large man in a fur cloak charged.

Raven let out a growl of his own and met the man's charge. He took a fist to the temple that left him dazed and was smashed into a wall, leaving a small indent. He got up quickly, just in time to miss being picked up again. X-23 used the distraction to jump onto the man's back and began to repeatedly stab him in the shoulder and neck, using the claws in her feet to latch on. The man pulled her by the hair, eliciting a muffled scream and threw her down the hallway. She slid for several yards before being able to get back up. Raven was up though, and trying to get his claws to go through the man's back via his stomach. He was blocked repeatedly but managed to land a clawed blow that went through the man's cheek and he felt it scratch something extremely hard. He pulled back for another blow but the man caught his fist. The man tried to land a blow himself but Raven caught his. They were locked, neither giving an inch. Raven felt that the man was stronger then him, but he had claws.

"You're just like him, you know. I'd have thought they would have done improvements." The man mocked. "You look different though, from the little rat I picked up in the ally."

"You…Sabretooth." Raven said. Sabretooth nodded, as he dug his claw like fingernails into the boy's hand. Raven released his claws from the same hand, only to be met with resistance.

"They didn't teach you anything yet, did they? Nah, course not. That was my job." Sabretooth laughed. "Adamantium can't be broken by Adamantium, it barely scratches it." The man continued to laugh, and dug his nails deeper, meeting Raven's metal covered bones.

"Good thing I don't have Adamantium then, isn't it?" Raven asked before pushing everything he had into getting his claws out. Slowly they extended into Sabretooth's and into his Adamantium coated bones. The large hairy man screamed and let Raven's hand go briefly, to be met with a spinning heel kick to his head from X-23 that knocked him into the opposing wall, hard. Raven kicked him in the head, making his head snap a bit further then was supposed to and knocked him out. The two mutants nodded to each other and were about to leave before Raven picked up a small keychain with a couple of keys on it that had fallen out of the large man's pocket. He pocketed them and they continued.

They followed the scent that Sabretooth had left to the next connecting hallway which turned into a car park. He pressed the button on one of the keys and a large truck beeped and flashed at him.

"'96 Dodge Ram, V6. And a Ducati 900 Monster." Raven said, surprising himself. X-23 gave him an odd look. "What? I know cars, apparently." He told her with a shrug. A lot about cars, if the random facts about both vehicles flashing across his mind were any hint. They got in and peeled out of the car park and through the fence that was automatically opening. There was a curious lack of guards.

"Too easy." Raven mumbled to himself. "Where all the guards, and how did you get out to begin with?" He asked the girl suddenly. She smiled, it was the first expression he had seen from her other then defiance and anger or fear.

"I had to kill some of them." She began. She didn't seem to regret that but looked slightly bothered. "There were a lot of them that got locked into a chamber they chased me into. I got out through a vent, but none of them could reach it. A gas chamber. I was able to get out of my cell by threatening them with a bomb I made." Raven gave her a look here and she shrugged.

"They were teaching me demolitions the other day; I stole a remote detonator and modified it. It was set on an infinity timer, so it won't go off unless someone does something-" She was cut off suddenly by a massive explosion behind them. They were at least a mile away but the truck was almost knocked into a ditch from the aftershock.

"Stupid." She finished. Raven stopped the care and just stared at her. Then he laughed. Laughed in a way that he could not remember ever doing before. Laughed until his sides hurt and she was laughing with him. It was too much, really. They took off again as fast as the truck would allow, Raven confident in driving abilities that felt like second nature.

"What is your name?" She asked, looking at him with bright obsidian eyes.

"Raven." He answered. "We've got to find you a name that doesn't sound like a serial number."

"A lady, she called me Laura once, but they killed her. I think she was my mother." The girl said with no emotion. "Do you remember much? One of the scientists said they 'condition' everyone they capture. But you don't act like them." She told him.

"You weren't captured then?" Raven asked, ignoring her question.

"No, I wasn't, I was born there. I don't know how old I am though; I was a secret project up until a few weeks ago, when they brought you in. I believe that the Doctor was a bit irritated that his 'idea' of creating a female 'Weapon-X' had already been done, and he didn't know about it. They educated me through some pole in my head; but the Doctor said his other project was going through the same, only faster. I assume he meant you." She said, looking out the window.

"Weapon-X?" He asked after a few moments.

"Yes, the ultimate weapon. They recreated me from the DNA of another mutant. I'm the 23rd try. X-23." She explained. "They wanted to create a duplicate, but couldn't. And then you come along, exactly what they were looking for. I'm just glad they didn't think I was useless after they found you. I enjoyed my talks with mother about the outside world."

"You loved her?"

"Yes, no, maybe? She was a cold woman. What is love anyway? Useless emotion." She said, though her face betrayed her statement.

"I don't know what it is, but I'm sure it has its use. I'm told it is a great strength." He told her, not even bothering to ask where it had come from. She scoffed, and he couldn't blame her, but her eyes seemed less guarded now.

"So, what do you remember, and why weren't you conditioned?" She asked again. Raven Sighed.

"I don't remember anything really. I got out before they could finish 'conditioning' as that 'Doctor' said. Sadistic bastard. Guy like that gives muggles a bad name." He told her.

"Muggles?" She asked.

"Huh? I don't remember. Something important maybe? I doubt it though. I can't remember anything about a family though, and I don't think I had one before either. Maybe… I don't know. Hurts to think about it." He said honestly.

"Your like me, you heal and have claws, were family." She said resolutely, as if those facts cemented her statement. She said it with such childish stubbornness that he had to question just how old she was. Especially after her statement of love being a useless emotion. But he found himself agreeing with her somehow, and she smiled brightly. "I'm Laura Raven, nice to meet you, Mider." She said as she quickly cut his palm and hers, forcing him to shake her hand or lose control of the truck.

"Mider?" He asked, watching his palm heal. He looked away from it before he noticed the slightly glowing scar left behind. Laura hadn't seen hers either. "Mider Raven… I can live with that." Raven said as he pulled onto a more trafficked highway while siren blaring cars turned onto the same road they had just been on.

_**(X)**_

That's the end of this chapter. Tune in again.


	7. Chapter 7

Alright, here's the next chapter. College is kicking my ass. So much damn money, for everything little damn thing that I need for classes. Piece of advice, if your going into college for a major that involves computers (mine's Graphic Design), get boot leg copies of the programs that you need. Not that I'm encouraging the illegal (in most countries) piracy of programs that cost upwards of $300 dollars a piece (think Adobe just about anything, great programs, worth every penny, I'm sure) but that can leave you feeling like you just got raped by the bank. Not pleasant, I assure. Can't walk around, feeling constantly dirty, have a sore wallet for days…

ANYWAY, here's the next chapter, as I believe I've already said. Not to sound redundant, here we go.

_**Previously…**_

"_I don't remember anything really. I got out before they could finish 'conditioning' as that 'Doctor' said. Sadistic bastard. Guy like that gives muggles a bad name." He told her._

"_Muggles?" She asked._

"_Huh? I don't remember. Something important maybe? I doubt it though. I can't remember anything about a family though, and I don't think I had one before either. Maybe… I don't know. Hurts to think about it." He said honestly._

"_Your like me, you heal and have claws, were family." She said resolutely, as if those facts cemented her statement. She said it with such childish stubbornness that he had to question just how old she was. Especially after her statement of love being a useless emotion. But he found himself agreeing with her somehow, and she smiled brightly. "I'm Laura Raven, nice to meet you, Mider." She said as she quickly cut his palm and hers, forcing him to shake her hand or lose control of the truck._

"_Mider?" He asked, watching his palm heal. He looked away from it before he noticed the slightly glowing scar left behind. Laura hadn't seen hers either. "Mider Raven… I can live with that." Raven said as he pulled onto a more trafficked highway while siren blaring cars turned onto the same road they had just been on._

**_Chapter 7: Caged_**

A party of five people stood next to an oddly shaped jet, simply taking in the sight before them. When they had begun their search for the facility, they had little more to go on then the fact that it was close to the original. That little tidbit of information proved useless as it seemed Sabretooth had been near the old building and heading to Neverland, not actually close to it. Wolverine had stayed behind to look around when the others left to find some leads. He had hoped to find something of his past or maybe a clue to where the new place had been set up. Meeting up with them two days later, he hid a pained look on his face. No one speculated on which clues he had not found. They were still no closer to finding it or the boy when Hank picked up a newspaper that was a few days old. He never understood why people couldn't take another second to make sure their trash made it into the receptacle. That thought fled as he saw a small article that would have been in the back section if all of it had been there.

"_Factory Explosion alerts forest Rangers of moderately high toxin levels in stream…" _

It didn't say much more then that, mentioning that Canada was going to start cracking down harder on factories dumping waste into rivers. That wasn't what made him nearly drop the paper or head off in search of his companions. No, it was the last sentence. _"The company president was unavailable for comment on the explosion or chemical dumping being done by the Neverland Advancement Corp."_ The others had read the short article quickly.

"Shit." Was all Wolverine had said. The others shared his sentiment but didn't voice it in the same way.

"We must hurry, if the boy managed to escape, he may be lost or hurt." Storm told them, and Hank agreed. He couldn't help but notice that the incident had been covered up extremely well. The loss of an entire 'factory' by an explosion was generally big news. That's how they found themselves in front of a disaster site, not sure how to proceed. Everything was destroyed. Blackened, burnt, melted, broken, smashed, destroyed… There was little left besides a still standing gate that looked as if a car had crashed through it. A large piece of shrapnel was equally as likely. There were footprints and tire tracks leading every which way, destroying any chance of finding anything helpful that wasn't under rubble.

"Place smells like fire and oil. I can't even smell the damn trees, let alone pick up a scent." Logan grumbled to himself. If Logan and the Professor were to be believed, then the boy most likely had a healing factor, which meant that there was a slim chance of surviving the explosion if he had been in it. They set to work, looking for any traces survival. After the first day, Hank and Ororo left the others to talk to the people in the town nearby. They had hoped to find someone who had seen who they were after.

It was all for naught, on both fronts, though. It had been another three days and no one had seen anybody matching the description that Hermione had told them. Scott, Jean, and Logan hadn't found anything but a few charred bodies and a fairly decimated coat some fifty yards from the explosion. Wolverine had a good idea that it was Sabretooth's, but it smelled like everything else and could not be certain. He had found something else as well. He hadn't told the others, and he wasn't really sure why, but he felt it should be kept private. Plans, data, blood samples… And they were his. He had no idea how they had gotten his blood… Well, it probably wasn't as hard as he thought, considering how many scraps he got into, but it made him feel dirty and violated that these people had something of him. And they had used it too. The computers were trashed and useless and any other information that might have told him what it had been used for had either been destroyed in the explosion or done purposefully. Considering that the samples he found were intact, he assumed the latter.

"Head back." Logan told them as they called it a day. Scott was tired, Jean looked to have a massive headache, Hank was deep in thought and Ororo was looking to the skies, fighting off the storm that was coming. They all looked at him when he spoke though.

"There's nothing here." He continued. "The place is destroyed, like we wanted. Mission accomplished. I'm taking the bike. See ya' back at the Institute." He told them abruptly, standing up and making his way towards the jet. He always took one of his bikes if it was possible. There was nothing like the open road to calm one's nerves, and there were few missions that ended in a satisfactory manner to him. Scott stood up quickly and blocked his path.

"So you're just going to give up? We might not have known him, but he's one of us, and Hermione was counting on us!" Scott all but shouted at the man. Logan refrained from strangling the boy, but only just. He knew that, all of it. He may never have met the kid, but he knew him better then anyone else he was likely to meet. Circumstances had seen to that. The look in Logan's eyes as Scott looked at them in defiance made the boy shiver. The bearing of Logan's slightly sharp teeth and low growl didn't help things either. Scott moved out of his way.

"You're an idiot, you know that, right?" Jean asked quietly as Logan's engine nearly redlined, kicking up dirt and debris in the process of peeling out.

"Why? He was-" But he was cut off by his girlfriend.

"He probably feels worse then you do about not finding him. Professor X said they had similar powers." She said.

"And as such he was most likely experimented on in the same manner that Logan was." Hank continued. He worried about Logan, but he knew that the man could take care of himself. In that way, maybe he should be more worried about the motorcycle's health, the man did have a tendency to drive a bit zealously. But he was more worried about his niece. The news that her friend had not been found would crush her. He wasn't sure how the other boy would deal with it though, Neville, probably a bit better then Hermione, but still.

"And while there is the slim possibility that he survived the experimentation and explosion, he would most likely try to get as far away from here as possible." Storm told him. Scott nodded, understanding. Wolverine might still have some hope, but what they sought would not be here. Sometimes his actions were faster then his head, it was something that he had made a lot of progress in, but he still had much to learn. Especially if he was to be a team leader, which many of the children of the Institute looked to him as.

"We'll head back in the morning." Hank told them with a sigh. The others nodded, feeling unsatisfied with the whole thing.

_**(X)**_

It had been close to ten hours since they had escaped that it happened. A small ding alerted him to their lack of gas in the tank. They would have to find gas soon, but they had no money, and just happened to be out in the middle of nowhere in Canadian mountains. They could have headed to civilization in America, but crossing the border probably would have required identification. A driver's license at least, and neither of them had anything like that. And Raven doubted they would take a pair of dog tags as proper identification. A half an hour later, the engine started to shudder and finally sputtered and died after five more minutes.

"Damn." He said to himself softly, the car moving slowly down an incline. They were in luck though; a small general store was at the bottom of the hill. Laura was still asleep. After talking for a few hours, she had finally crashed and hadn't woken up since. He felt his stomach growl slightly and knew that he needed food. She would probably want some as well; he could hear her stomach rumble periodically. There was the slight problem of cash though. _'Well,'_ He thought, _'I suppose I don't _have_ to pay for it.'_ With that thought in mind, he made it into the gravel parking lot and positioned it as best he could next to a large camper.

"Evening." A fairly friendly woman said with a smile as Raven walked into the 'Valley Top General Store'. Raven gave her his best smile as well, even though it was a strain. He didn't need her to be suspicious. There wasn't a whole lot there, mostly camping equipment that wouldn't help him. What the hell was he going to do with a camo tent and a tree stand? It wasn't like he could walk out with them in his pocket. He walked around the store, pocketing the smaller items and bagged food that wouldn't make much noise. With about ten energy bars, some bags of granola, beef jerky, and a small length of hose, he made his way to the counter. The woman looked at him suspiciously; he had been walking around for close to five minutes and came to the counter with nothing. He smiled at her.

"Sorry, couldn't find what I was looking for." He told her, smiling at her again, not knowing that his eyes were slightly glinting. Or that the silver in his eyes had become a bit more apparent. She smiled back, at ease. Raven felt that there was something being said without words, and whatever reservations he felt about taking the things were gone. She liked to overcharge her customers anyway.

"Which was? Maybe I can help." She told him. He hadn't thought of an answer to this question and said the first thing that came to mind.

"A bezoar." He said a second later. She looked at him oddly but told him they didn't carry that, nor had she ever heard of it. He tried to hide his confusion as well. "Not many have." He assured her.

"Can you tell me where this road leads?" He asked, pointing in the general direction of the road he had come from. She looked thoughtful for few moments.

"Depends on how far you follow it. Before they put that damn highway in this used to be the one of the main routes across the country. They're a few towns about a hundred miles down, but no real big cities. Ends somewhere near the border of Ontario and New York." She finished. He nodded to her and gave his thanks; the fact that he hadn't bought anything and had walked out with a small map didn't register to her. Outside, Raven had the hose stuffed deep into the Campers reserves, attempting to siphon it into the truck. A mouthful of gas later, the camper was steadily supplying the truck. They were back on the road a few minutes later, Laura had never woken. It went like that for the next couple of days, Raven would get gas when they needed it and Laura had taken to conning some of the older people at wherever they stopped. They had been able to stop at a bar for a real meal after a day of that. Granola and jerky could hold hunger off, but it got old quickly, and it was a poor substitute for real food.

"Slow down, you're going to eat your fingers." Raven told the girl across from him. Laura, it seemed, had never had a burger before, and was relishing the encounter. She stopped and glared at him for less then a second before she went back to the burger. He had to admit, it was good. It was nothing on fresh fish and chips, but the cheese, bacon, onion rings, and some sort of sauce made the burger very good. Raven walked to the bar and watched the TV. The news had briefly mentioned a factory explosion that Raven thought was Neverland, and grinned. He turned to tell Laura about it when he noticed that two men were talking to her, and she didn't like it.

"Oi, back off." He told them as he made his way back to the table. He felt a strong need to defend or protect Laura, even though he knew she could take care of herself. That was most likely the reason he felt he should interfere. She could probably take care of herself a little _too_ well.

"The hell is your problem, eh? Take off, hoser!" The smaller of the two men said, his larger friend nodding and cracked his knuckles in a fashion that seemed slightly familiar. Maybe all large and stupid people cracked their knuckles in the same way.

"Yeah," Large man said, "We gonna have us some fun." He said in a way that left no guessing as to their intentions. Raven had to remember to keep his claws retracted; the slight sting in his knuckles reminded him they were very close to the surface.

"So babe, the oonie match the drapes?" The smaller man asked before he was picked up by the neck. Raven strained to hold him there with one hand while he pulled back with the other, letting loose a punch to the man's nose that had him flying into a nearby table. The table cracked in half and the man groaned before passing out.

"You hurt the boss!" The large man told him, and lunged at him faster then Raven thought he would. He was taken down by the large man into the bar, sending bottles and drinks flying. Raven threw the man off of him and was about land a blow to the man's head when a shotgun went off. The bar owner stood behind the counter.

"You wanna' fight? You take it to the cage, dammit!" The owner shouted at them. "And ya' owe me a table and a few bottles of scotch and bourbon, so I'll be takin' whatcha' make."

"Fuck that, Murphy, you seen what he done!" The large man shouted, and he started to advance again. Raven got ready.

"And I seen what you done too, Johnny, and you take another step my boys here are gonna' take that table you owe me outcha' ass." Murphy said, leveling the shotgun at Johnny, and motioning to a couple of guys by the door. Johnny stopped, glared, and walked through a door in the back. "That means you too, ya' punk ass knob." Murphy told him, with the gun pointing in his direction. Raven merely raised an eyebrow and followed the crowd that was going into the door Johnny had gone into. Laura followed a few feet behind, glad that Raven had helped her. She probably would have killed the men, and she knew that they didn't need _that_ kind of attention. The fight was held in a large angled platform with chain link fence attached to steel bars, making a cage that would have been pretty hard to get out of. It was over in less then a minute. Johnny was carried out and dumped into the snow with his partner and Murphy collected the money that was betted on the match.

"Eh, kid, you give em' a show, and they'll bet more. The more they bet, the more you can make, after my thirty percent of course." Murphy told Raven.

"I've got places to be." He told the man, who he noticed had a slightly greasy air about him.

"You can make some good money, kid. Drifters always need money." The man told him, and waited for a reaction.

"I've still got places to be. But you make that fifteen percent, and I can stick around for a few days." Raven told Murphy. They settled at something close to nineteen percent, with Raven to make the fights last as long as possible. It was the same deal that the man made with all of the fighters that went through his ring. He never lost that way, 'Sides, drifters were stupid, didn't know nothing about money. Raven fought a few times a day, but it had lost its thrill when he realized that the men he was fighting had no real training or experience. That and the fact that Murphy was taking more like seventy percent instead of whatever it was they agreed on. He didn't care despite that fact; he had figured that the greedy man would do it anyway. He would make sure he got it back before they left though.

**_(X)_**

Logan almost felt sorry for his bike. The thing was built like a rock, but it wasn't made for speed. Well, not the speeds he was doing. And not for twelve hour stretches. He'd give her a good tune up; maybe replace the transmission once he got back to the mansion. It was at the end of the second day since he left the others that he stopped at a bar that he had frequented often in his younger years. Well, younger was a relative term to him. His life was a series of stages. Anything before meeting up with Chuck was considered his 'younger' years. He supposed it was because he was forced to mature somewhat. Be less reckless, and all that.

"Nice bike." He commented to himself, as he passed a truck with a newer bike in the back. His bike backfired with a loud 'bang'. He rolled his eyes and patted its gas tank. "You know I love you." He told it. He might not have good relations with people, but he did with his bikes. Maybe it was because they didn't talk back, usually. He parked and made his way into the bar, only to be stopped as soon as he opened the door. It smelled of something familiar, and strong. Very strong. It was the same smell he himself had no matter how much he washed. It was too deep. He couldn't draw attention to himself, especially if it was an enemy. There were a few still out there like him. '_Sabretooth',_ He thought to himself. If he was here, he'd be able to get some questions answered. Hopefully the hard way. He must have been here for days for the smell to be that strong though. _'Adamantium, it never goes away.'_

"You gonna get somethin'" A man behind the counter asked him. This was the owner, couldn't remember the name though. Thought he was something big, which was all he could remember about him.

"Yeah, give me a shot and a beer." He told him. Logan looked around the room slowly, trying to find where the smell was coming from. The problem was that it was everywhere. He dropped a few coins on the table and downed his shot. Didn't matter what it was, it wouldn't do anything to him anyway. He sipped his beer for a moment before he noticed that people were starting to go into a room in the back. He knew that room, he'd fought there before. He got up and followed them when the smell became stronger as they opened the door. He was a little surprised at what he saw inside the cage through the cigar smoke. A kid no more then sixteen or seventeen was getting ready to fight some lumberjack. What's more, the kid looked bored. The fight started and he knew a show when he saw one. The kid was toying with the man probably a hundred more pounds then he was. The kid's moves were well trained, but lacked discipline, like he knew all the theory with little application.

It was when the kid was thrown into the side of the cage that he caught the scent again, stronger then ever. The kid… That might be _the_ kid. The boy looked up as he was about to be grabbed by the neck and Logan thought that he recognized him from the Hanks' niece's description. Only the hair was too short, there was no scar, he was several pounds of muscle heavier, and the eyes were a bit off, like a grayish green, but still bright. He was close enough to the description and yet different enough that Logan could be mistaken. But as a cut on the boy's face healed, he knew that either he was right or this was one damn coincidence. And he didn't believe in coincidences. This was him alright. With the proximity he noticed that the scent was similar to adamantium, but different, even though he definitely smelled it. That made no sense, unless Sabretooth _was_ here. But the large, lion like man, wasn't here. Then there had to be another one. The thought disturbed him more then he would admit, even to himself. The fight ended with a knock out and a trip to the local doctor a few moments later.

"Is there no man brave enough to take on the Raven?" The owner asked the crowd. A few shifted nervously. "Come now, I'm sure that in a room full of big, strong men such as yourselves, one of you will be brave enough to fight this punk?" The man taunted further. Logan sat his beer down and made his way to the entrance, taking his jacket and shirt off in the process.

"I'll teach the brat a lesson for ya'." He said as he entered the ring.

"I knew I remembered you." The owner said to himself mostly. "Alright you cheap bastards, you are all in for one hell of a fight. Fighting against the current 'chumpion', Raven, is the amazing, the incredible, the returning champion of the cage… Wolverine!" Murphy shouted as he jumped out of the ring and pulled a length of chain and a large lock. The chain was locked after a moment, something that usually indicated a match where a lot of money would be exchanging hands.

Raven hadn't noticed that anyone had joined him until the man was announced. He felt like he should remember him, like it was important. The man was worth knowing, he just didn't know why. Was he dangerous? He didn't look to bad, but Raven knew that looks could always be deceiving. He set himself in a stance the leaned more towards aggressiveness and the other man did the same. He felt a slight shiver go through his back. This man, Wolverine, was different from the others. He was… a challenge. There was something in the air that he couldn't place. Raven didn't notice that he now stood ready for full attack, no defense whatsoever.

"Begin!"

Raven waited less then a second before he threw the first punch, which was caught and countered with one two his head, which connected soundly. The first clue that something was just wrong about the guy was when the fist connected. A sound like metal being struck with metal sounded. The second was the fact that the hit sent him directly to the ground. There was almost no in between state, just hit and then ground. His head cleared fast enough to move out of the way of a boot to the head and got up quickly. He was able to barely dodge another punch to the head and caught the man's extended elbow and pushed hard enough to make him off balance. While the man's center of gravity was compromised, he brought he knee into the man's gut as hard as he could. The knee connected, but the man ignored the pain in favor of elbowing Raven in the face.

"Come on kid, that the best ya' got?" Wolverine asked, smirking as the boy lunged at him again. Raven ignored the comment and threw another punch, pulling it back at the last second, using the momentum to whirl him around for a spinning kick. Wolverine caught the kick, but couldn't hold on and was sent into the 'wall' closest to him.

"So that's how its going to be, eh bub? No more kid gloves then." Wolverine told him as he picked himself up from the ground. The kid was good; he'd landed an honest blow to his face. Fast, strong, and could think on his feet. He lacked experience though. He'd correct some of that right now. He began fighting the same way that he would in any of his spars. Even though he wasn't using his claws, he didn't weaken or slow down his blows. It was all Raven could do to dodge, which he was failing at. If it wasn't for his healing factor and coated bones, he'd probably be broken, bloody, and limp. He picked himself up once again and knew that he wasn't going to win this fight the same way he did with the others. When the next punch came, he jumped back into a space between the metal bars and vaulted off the fence to the top of the cage. He wasn't sure how he had managed it, but he landed in the same way on the top and pushed off of it as well. Wolverine braced himself and crossed his arms to cover his face from the speeding fist that he was about to meet. The hit sent him to his knees and rattled the cage. Raven used the man's arms as a platform and pushed off again, landing in a ready stance in front of him from a flip. He was shocked at his acrobatics and agility, but didn't let it show. Raven expected Wolverine to have been laid out, but was surprised to see the man grinning in an almost mocking way.

"What, can't win a fair fight?" He asked. Raven watched in shock as the man's cut arms healed in front of his eyes. It all clicked in his head. The healing, the strength, the slight scent that reminded him of Sabretooth or Laura. This was the Wolverine. Weapon-X. The reason that Laura had been made into what she was, why she had been locked up and caged, made into a weapon. The reason he had been captured and experimented on. He was associated with the X-Men, though he couldn't remember who they were exactly. None of that mattered right now. He knew that he shouldn't blame the man for what others had done to him. He knew that it wasn't the man's fault. That he had been a victim as well. That the smartest thing to do would be to stop fighting. He knew all that, but it didn't stop him from lunging at Wolverine again.

This time it was Wolverine who was barely able to dodge. The boy had a glint in his eyes that reminded Logan of the descriptions his team mates said were in his eyes whenever he lost it. He was in a rage. Neither of them noticed that the glint had turned into a glow, or that one of the punches had burned Logan. The attacks were relentless and Logan knew he had to stop it before the boy remembered that he had claws. Wolverine ducked a punch and the boy slid to the side and jumped over him. Logan didn't understand how the boy could move like that. If it wasn't so brutish in his movements, he thought it would have reminded him of Kurt. That too was probably due to his lack of experience. Wolverine seized his opportunity when Raven overextended a punch and pulled it back too slow. He ducked and swung a wide punch. Raven dodged to the side, but didn't bother trying to block. A rookie's mistake. The fist turned into a chop that was aimed directly at Raven's neck.

Raven was slowly getting himself under control and knew that he couldn't dodge further and it was too late to block. From the recesses of his mind he could feel a rush of warm energy flow over him. It was soft and warm, and it would get him out of the way, he could almost feel himself somewhere else. But it was too slow in coming and the blow landed, cutting off the warm feeling. Raven hit the ground hard and didn't get back up. Murphy's shout of the winner was drowned out as a scream of 'You killed him!' rang out. Not a second later Logan was being stabbed repeatedly.

_**(X)**_

Well, that's the end of that chapter. It took a while, I know, and should update my other stories, I know that too.


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